Have readers seen the new open letter to political leaders and media on the possibel Bolingbroke school?
this is the text in circulation:
Open letter to: Michael Gove MP, Andy Burnham MP, Sadiq Khan MP, Jane Ellison MP, Lucy Heller (ARK), Cllr Edward Lister, Cllr Maurice Heaster, Cllr Kathy Tracey, Cllr Andy Gibbons, Cllr Tony Belton, Cllr Leonie Cooper
We are a group of Wandsworth residents, many of us parents of young children, who are concerned about the proposal for a free school on the site of the former Bolingbroke Hospital in Northcote ward, Wandsworth.
We agree that there is likely to be a need for extra school places in the Borough over the coming years. However, we are concerned that the current proposals from the ARK Bolingbroke Academy will not provide these places in a way that provides equal access to improved educational opportunities for all sections of the local community and that they will do very little to address the achievement gap that exists for children from underprivileged backgrounds.
What we would like you to do:
We understand that the parents involved in the campaign are trying to do what they believe is best for their children and they, of course, have as much right to educational opportunities as any other members of our community. However, in a time of constrained resources, we feel strongly that any additional funding allocated to new/existing schools should be targeted where it is needed most. As a result, we are writing to ask you to support us in calling for:
1) Wandsworth Council to carry out a review, before any funds are committed to particular free school proposals, on how secondary school place needs should be addressed over the coming years in a way that drives equal educational opportunities for all the children of Wandsworth.
2) ARK Bolingbroke Academy team to carry out and publish analysis on alternatives which could ensure that any new school provides choice for a wider group of children including:
- Carrying out cost/benefit analysis on alternative sites that would enable a larger school to be provided (e.g., as part of the Springfield Hospital development) that would be a more efficient use of resources and would serve a wider group of children
- Assessing alternative admissions policies including the effects on key indicators of social inclusion covering a) distance based admissions; b) the current feeder school policy; c) a modified feeder school policy that includes a broader range of primary schools and d) a lottery system based on a 1.5 mile radius around the site.
3) DfE/Wandsworth Council/ARK (as appropriate) to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment to assess the likely impact of the proposals on local people in respect of disability, gender and racial equality and identify any changes that may be needed to ensure that no groups are disadvantaged as a result of the proposed school and its policies.
Why we believe this is necessary:
The key issues we would like to see addressed are 1) the lack of evidence that a school is needed in this location rather than others; 2) the small size and location of the proposed site and 3) the admissions policy which focuses on only 4 primary schools (out of some 40 that are within a 1.5 mile radius of the proposed site); excludes Falconbrook, the most deprived primary school in Wandsworth and is expected a lead to a school that is significantly less socially and ethnically diverse than other nearby secondary schools.
1) Evidence that a school is needed in this location: The parent campaign claim that they struggle to gain access to local schools on distance grounds but this is not backed up by the facts. Students living near the Bolingbroke site could potentially gain access to at least 4 schools within 2 miles who are often offering places to pupils living considerably further away. For example, last year Chestnut Grove (which is a mile from Bolingbroke) was able to offer places to children living more than 2 miles away and Burntwood School (which is 1.7 miles from Bolingbroke) was able to offer places to girls living more than 3 miles away. In practice, only 27% of secondary aged children from Northcote ward currently attend Wandsworth state schools so many children from this area choose to travel several miles rather than attend local schools. We respect the right of all parents to to choose whichever school they prefer for their children. However, we believe it should be made very clear that this is not a case where there is no good, local school - there are several within walking distance where these children could gain places.
2) Size and location of the proposed school: The proposed site will only have space for a 4FE school and is situated in an extremely affluent part of Wandsworth with a feeder school policy which will ensure that it draws from a small and, on average, unusually affluent, less diverse pool of potential pupils. We have seen no evidence that other sites have been considered which might provide a larger school with resulting economic efficiencies which would then also be open to a better cross section of our community and benefit more children overall.
3) Admissions: We have seen no evidence to demonstrate that the proposed admissions policy ensures fair access to those in the local area. We are especially concerned about the exclusion of Falconbrook (the most deprived primary school in Wandsworth) despite it being closer to the site than Wix. We also believe restricting the pool to 4 feeder schools is extremely limiting and prevents the free school from serving a reasonable cross section of the community, especially when you consider that there are some 40 primary schools within a 1.5 mile radius of the site.
As a result of all these concerns, we question whether allocating resources to create extra choice for parents in a very small and affluent area is the best way of enhancing educational opportunities and attainment amongst the majority within Wandsworth.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our proposals.
Best regards
Laura Brown, Stuart Furminger, James Thomas, Julia Thomas, Hannah Davies, Belinda Ellis, Annalie Wilson, Sylvester Laciok, Toby Brown and Jonni Brown
Reference Wandsworth address: 59 Rogers Road, London, SW17 0EB
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