Anyone else get harangued outside Northcote Library today?! Post Reply

[schoolgatesmum]

Equality. If you look at a map of the borough and the secondary schools, you will see the reason why there are so many children from out of borough. All of the secondary schools are close to other borough borders. And when I say "all" that really is all of them. If you asked someone to recommend where would be a good place for a new secondary school so that it wasn't too close to the other secondary schools it would be in the middle of Wandsworth Common. What a fantastic opportunity that there is an empty public building right there. As someone said earlier, this type of opportunity doesn't come up very often in London. I know that you're not convinced that there will be problems in the future regarding secondary school places, but if there were where would you propose would be a good place for a new school?

[doleofficedad]

For the benefit of those who oppose the new school, I should perhaps 'dumb down' my last post so it is very clear what is being said - if ALL of the Year 6 children attended ALL of their local secondary schools, then the Northcote children would struggle to get any places based on distance. This is based on current pupil numbers. The problem becomes more accute if one looks at the projected pupil numbers through to 2017. And this is not just a BV or HW problem - go and stand at the school gates at High View and talk to the parents there. While there, you might also like to ask how many of them work in the City?

[equality]

I do agree with schoolgatesmum that if the school were really needed that using the building makes sense, no doubt about that. I guess it is the feeder schools part that is just wrong.
Doleofficedad you make my point beautifully, you are rude, suggest people need things dumbed down whilst all the time making silly statements like your last post. Find me one part of the UK, not just London where that happens. There really is no point in banging your fist making suggestions that are not back in the real world. Lots of HW and BV children will go on to private school because that is what their parents want. Unless legislation changes choice for parents (and you are the one banging on about choice) then children will always go to different schools. I do take the point that some of the schools in WW are close to borders but surely that is because they are local to that area, eg Tooting, Balham. Unless they were all in WW town centre, it is a given and it applies to other boroughs too.
I just don't understand why people have to be so rude and I am still waiting for an answer to my question about oversubscription. What? Does the answer not suit? Perhaps but lets hear it.

[doleofficedad]

Equality - you appear to be getting a little angry when people push back? On your problem with feeder schools, what do you think would happen to the catchment area if it were left to distance alone? You live in the area, so try and work that one through. It's not that hard but you seem unable to figure it out. On oversubscription, I've answered you - although even dumbing down the answer doesn't seem to have helped much. Making points like 'back in the real world' or 'smell the coffee' are banal - they dont prove anything or add to the debate at all.

[yummydaddy]

Equality,

If anybody is patronising it is you: you want to tell us what schools our children will have to go to (including poorly performing BPS).

And talking about rudeness, it was you, as far as I remember, that accused people of lies, prevarication, half answers, self interest, reading animal farm, you were talking about “landing punches” and threaten with media, etc, etc.
So just accept this is an animated forum, and don’t be so thin-skinned, in particular if your are at least as “outspoken” as others.

On your question:
I have never commented on oversubscription, so not sure why you ask me this question.
But happy to putting in my 5 cents:
Oversubscription tells you probably only one part of the truth (many schools might indeed be oversubscribed), what counts probably more is the free school places – At the moment 175 free place excluding the faith –based places. This compares with 1,200-1700 children hitting the school system in a few years.

I don’t know why me mentioning hard facts (massive increase in birth rate) is not convincing ? Not convincing because it doesn’t fit your argument ?
In this respect, I encourage you to be more consistent in your arguments: On one hand you keep on bringing up Belleville expansion, I presume, to build up the carefully managed stereotype of the greedy, multimillion, banker that lives BTC (My family, the 4 of us, live BTC, in a small 2-bed flat, and quite frankly I struggle to make ends meet, like many of the families in my children’s class).
But, on the other hand, I don’t know if you will see the irony, the Belleville expansion example clearly demonstrates the substantial increase in birth rates and how one can already see the wave hitting Primary schools (and will hit secondary in a few years).
Belleville expansion example also shows in what a mess the council gets itself if they don’t plan ahead. If the council had addressed the increase in birth rates a few year ago, you would now have a stand-alone school on Forthbridge school (which could hold more than just 1 form) and everybody would be happy.

[yummydaddy]

I can also answer Doleofficedad’s comment on distance criteria:
Let’s keep in mind Belleville/Honeywell/High View are 10 entry forms in total - Bolingbroke would be 5 forms, I believe.
This means, if the distance was only criteria, and only half of parents from these 3 school send their children to Bolingbroke there will be no space for anybody outside these 3 schools. Which is a pity for anybody further away, but just illustrates the flood of children in the area.

My children go to Belleville and around 80% of the parents (including myself) would simply not be able to send children to private school. Nor would I want to send my child to private school. Belleville is a great and very mixed school, my children have friends who live in council housing, large houses, flats, etc. and they all get along well. I hope and I’m convinced that this ethos can be transferred to Bolingbroke academy.

Any more questions, equality ? (I hope I wasn’t rude again ...)

[doleofficedad]

Equality - the problem with what you are posting is a complete lack of logic. You start off by saying that the problem is caused by out of borough students, but according to you, if we all supported our local school then that would be solve the problem - we'd get in. But when I point out what would happen if all the Year 6 kids did support their local school - you dismiss that point too. Genius! Are you unable to see how you contradict yourself? You can't have it both ways can you? I really have no idea at all now on what basis you actually oppose the school. If it is to do with admissions - then what would you suggest? If its to do with pupil capacity, then you are defeating your own logic. Or is it something else? Perhaps taxpayers money in these austere times? If so, then first ask why £70 million is being spent on 2 existing borough schools which will not add as many pupil places as the Bolingbroke school will - on a £/pupil basis, 900 new pupil places will be created at a fraction of the cost compared to the £70 million. Or is it something else? If you oppose on ideological grounds, then fair enough, thats what you believe in. But at least be consistent and logical on what grounds you think the school is 'unjust'. Just repeating over and over that people are rude (although no more than you have been) or using vacuous phrases like 'smell the coffee' is tiresome.

[localunionmember]

Mr De Maria claims he has been misquoted by GMB re Battersea Park Head.

Refering to a post from someone querying how the catchment area issue was sorted union members find this statement on the record.

This is a statement from jon de maria 17thdecember 2010 re why wix lane was chosen instead of nearer falconbrook

" am sure you will believe what it suits you to believe Laura. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story? As I recall, Katie from ARK spent some time discussing with you the choice of the 4 local primary schools at the recent consultation? Part of the reason is that Gail (sic)Keller, the head at Battersea Park school, sees the primary schools to the north of Battersea as being very much part of his community. We have met Gail (sic)a few times now and would like to respect his objective to form a comunity school in north Battersea. So we will take the kids from our 4 local primaries to feed into a new local state comprehensive school in south Battersea. As I said above, the truth is often more mundane than the perception or spin".

Mr De Maria no longer stands by this fairly unequivacal statement as the reason the catchment area issue was decided the way it was. GMB checked and found that there was no such agreement on a north-south axis.

So what now is the reason for the north south axis if that is not it. A unilateral decision by a self selecting group?

Also how is it bullying to draw attention to information in the public domain published on Wandsworth Council website run by Tories as to who supports the school and opposes the flats?

In the "Big Society" future will it be deemed bullying to draw attention to supporters and those opposing a particular scheme for spending public money?

[doleofficedad]

Union boy - calm down a bit. You're not lecturing to your fellow comrades now. Reading what Mr De Maria actually posts above, you are yet again spinning the point he makes as far as I can see. I dont think he ever said in the first place that there was any sort of 'agreement to a north-south axis'. That was what the loony left GMB wrote! All he appears to be saying is that it made no sense to take primary schools that were a natural feed into Gale's (not sic) school to the north of Battersea. I dont think he actually said anywhere that it was formally discussed and signed off with Gale at their meeting did he? And yet you are dressing up an innocent statement like it was the Yalta or Potsdam agreement. You think you are clever with your spin and the like but you just come off as SWP bully boys and idiots. Come the revolution brother!

[schoolgatesmum]

@localunionmember - I'm interested to know what your suggestion would be for admissions criteria and how this would provide a comprehensive intake.

[localunionmember]

A lot of Unite members voted Lib Dem at the last general election.

One sent me the LibDem position on free schools. This was it and the position adopted by their 2010 Conference.

I post it here for information and it would be good to hear from local lib dems too on this debate.

The Lib Dem election manifesto said "We will ensure a level playing field for admissions and funding and replace Academies with our own model of ‘Sponsor-Managed Schools’. These schools will be commissioned by and accountable to local authorities and not Whitehall, and would allow other appropriate providers, such as educational charities and parent groups, to be involved in delivering state-funded education."

The post-election Lib Dem conference in September 2010 passed a policy motion that:

"In relation to ‘free schools’, conference calls on all Liberal Democrats to urge people not to take up this option because it risks:

1. Creating surplus places which is prejudicial to the efficient use of resources in an age of austerity.

2. Increasing social divisiveness and inequity into a system which is already unfair because of the multiple tiers and types of schools created by successive Conservative and Labour governments and thus abandoning our key goal of a high quality education system for all learners.

3. Depressing educational outcomes for pupils in general.

4. Increasing the existing complexity of school admissions and exclusions.

5. Putting at risk advances made in making appropriate provision for children with special needs.

6. Putting in jeopardy the programme of improving school buildings.

7. Wasting precious resources, both human and material, at a time when all efforts should be focused on improving educational outcomes by enabling effective teaching and learning to take place in good local schools accessible to all.

8. Increasing the amount of discrimination on religious grounds in pupil admissions and the employment of teaching staff, and denying children access to broad and balanced Religious Education about the range of different world views held in society."

[doleofficedad]

Union boy - I went to the school hustings organised by the parents just before the election. As I recall, all of the candidates were wholly in support of the new school, including the local Lib Dem candidate who is a teacher and lives in the area from memory. Not too sure what point you are making by posting another rant. I think you are a bit out of your depth.

[localunionmember]

If I am not mistaken refering to an adult as "boy" is intended to be derogatory.

I do not know what the rules of site are regarding using derogatory forms of address when posting.

I posted the Lib Dem as it is relevant as there is a coalition government who will have to make the final decision on the public funds needed to get this project off the ground. To find that described as a rant is beyond me.

Equally finding each comment refered to as being from a "militant" trades union - when the comments are from the ordinary workers at union meetings who keep this area functioning on a day to day basis - is also insulting and meant to be. Union branch meetings are havens of civility compared to some posts on this site.

Unions have thick skins and do not mind being piloried for insisting that all the relevant facts are put on the table before decisions are made. As things stand no reason has now been put forward for excluding Falconbrook kids. By the way on the approved walking routes Wix is 0.2km further away than Falconbrook and no amount of claims to the contrary will alter that physical fact.

[doleofficedad]

Lay off the sob story union boy. It appears you and your loony left comrades like to dish out the lies and spin but don't like getting it back.

[yummydaddy]

Union-adult,

Well, sometimes we are disappointed about our politicians.
And the Lib-Dems now have to realize that leading a country is different from being in opposition and promising everything to everybody.
But that’s life, unfortunately.

You get really hung up on the feeder school approach and that Falconbrook is excluded. You are aware that Falconbrook would be excluded if it was pure distance from school, rather than feeder ? Or you disagreed ?