Meet the Leader of Wandsworth Council Post Reply

[supergirl]

My question to the leader

Dear Leader Counciller

Wandsworth has highest birth rate in London (somebody from the "Performance and Standard" department at the council said that it is actually the highest in Europe since 2008) and in Battersea people would do anything they can to get their children into a few good schools (on top of my head: Ravenstone, Beatrix Potter, All Farthing, Honeywell, Belleville, Wix bilingual stream, etc I am sure I am not mentionning some so please forgive me).
These schools are oversuscribed, the catchment areas are tiny and the premium you would pay to buy/rent a house/flat in the catchment make it almost impossible for a large number of people to even try to compete.
But because of the admission/sibling policy what I have seen/heard people do is to move in the area during the admission time and then move out having secured a place for their eldest and therefore the rest of the brood.
To me that seems to be missing the goal as the idea of a local school is to have local children attending, in effect you might find a lot of children who dont live anymore local to the school in question...

But my question is: Given the above, what is the council doing to make sure that all the other schools in wandsworth become a new Belleville or Honeywell? It is seems a shame that a handful of school got oversuscribed when there are others who if helped could probably reach an outstanding performance given by Ofsted? Take Highview for example.
Surely the only few outstanding schools in the borough will reach at some point full capacity if the birth rate stays on the same trend and if nothing is done to improve drastically all the other schools?
The person in the Performance and Standard told me that the real problem for admissions will be for the children born from 2008 because of the birth rate.

I think the council needs to outline their plan for the future and the near future to us Wandsworth residents.

Many thanks for answering the question and having taken the time to read it.

Supergirl

[supergirl]

Another question (not sure if we can post two but I try )

Why Wandsworth residents cannot get a resident card and therefore get discounts at, for example, Latchmere Leisure Centre?
In other boroughs residents get a discount at their leisure centre (for ex Greenwich Leisure Centre). Also why is the changing areas at the pool at the Latchmere so filthy, the entrance is now £3.80 and the pool is very popular. Surely they should have enough money to make sure it is clean? The state of the filth last Sunday would certainly become a health and safety issue. I didnt have my phone with me to take a picture but I will take one next time I go there...

Many thanks
Supergirl

[Annabel (admin)]

Yes of course, please do post more than one question

Annabel x

[dancing_queen59]

I agree with supergirl. The changing rooms at Latchmere Leisure Centre are absolutely disgusting! I have often thought about calling an environmental health officer as sometimes I wonder if it would pass health and hygiene. The nappie bins are always busting so full that vapours are left on the floor, there is dirt, paper, tissue lying everywhere. The only reason we go is that the boys love the walk in walk out type of pool. I have complained to the duty manager at least 5 times and each time told that the council do not arrange enough bin collections so nothing they can do about the nappy bins and with regards to the dirt, I have been told that they are short staffed and can't be checked that regularly. For a council run gym, obviously desperate for membership this has to get sorted!

[kiwimummy]

It's not supposed to a thread arguing about which questions get put! There is such a thing as free speech, especially with elected officials.

I have some sympathy for doleofficedad's question, although not his phrasing. Can I instead ask:

"Does the council have any proposals to disincentivise the use of large 4x4 vehicles locally, such as an additional residents' parking surcharge? "

I'm not in favour of them, regardless of who's driving them. They clutter up the roads around the schools at pick up and dropping off time and are unsafe around children. Not all of the people driving them know how to handle them either. They're a pain in the neck on my road as I live next to a school and I worry about the children getting into school safely.

I second the question about the 20mph limit. An excellent idea. Is the council considering this, especially for roads with schools?

[onthecommon]

Is there anyway the Council can adapt planning laws to protect roads like Northcote Road and stop large chains moving in at the expense of smaller independents ?

Agree with making whole area a 20 mph zone, especially roads like Bolingbroke Grove, Bellevue Road, Northcote Road where a lot of families live. How could this be achieved ?

[trolleydolly]

Why didnt my child receive a Wandsworth schools brochure in their school bag along with children in other local schools?
Is it because they are at an Independent school? I If so why does Wandsworth council think it can miss them out?

[Balhammom]

What percentage of yr 7's who get into Graveney via the Wandsworth test are from one of the 4 feeder schools to the new Bollingbroke Academy e.g. over the last 3 years. If its a large no and I'm suspecting that it maybe - why does this test still exist. It means 'Between the Commons' children have more choice whilst Furzedown children have far less.
Is this fair?

[diva636]

Why is there STILL no direct bus between Clapham South/Clapham Junction? i.e. one that runs through the common. And please don't tell me about the G1 because I could walk there faster than get on that bus.

[abacus]

Between the Commons rumours abound regarding people renting a second house in order to secure a place at primary school. Do you check that the addresses used are the 'primary or principal residence' used for taxation?

Thank you.

[FriendsofYGL]

Council Leader: In the interests of the Big Society, what are the council doing to proactively encourage people across Wandsworth to support those in the areas most affected by cuts. For example York Gardens Library has a significant and immediate need for a dedicated group of volunteers to ensure that it can stay open and continue to provide much needed support to the many local children who use it regularly and who need help with reading, homework, mentoring. Encouraging people from more affluent areas of the borough to help out in the more challenging areas will be crucial to getting any Big Society project to work effectively and with people in Wandsworth so interested in supporting local children, it would be great to see the Council and Councillors more actively supporting cross-community programmes such as this.
thank you.

[FriendsofYGL]

A second question if I may:

Council Leader: I think HighView is a promising local school. What measures are the Council taking to improve it and to ensuring that lessons about how to improve standards are transferred from other schools in the area to HighView (and others). There is a perception that there are outstanding schools in Wandsworth and that all others are simply not good enough. While this perception exists, there will continue to be undue pressure on places at schools like Belleville and Honeywell and many people will continue to move out of the borough to access 'better' schools. What is the council actively doing to alter this perception?

thank you.

[FrenchMummyInLondon]

Dear leader

my question for you is "what can you do to increase the road safety on Northcote road, especially near the new nursery on Salcott road?"

this nursery opened quite recently and as there is no pedestrian crossing at the junction of Salcott and Northcote road, we can see lots of parents crossing there in a very dangerous way, juggling baby, toodler, pushchair and stuff.
More than once, an accident most happen.

You should really look into adding a crossing at this junction.

Thanks

[RaviGovindia]

Belleville School admissions
Belleville School has just become an academy, so becomes responsible for its own admissions from 1st October 2011, rather than the Council. However, I believe that the Governing Body at the school have already received letters on this subject, asking them to review their policy, which is currently to give priority to siblings and to children living closest to the main school site if there are more applications than places. I am sure that the governors will give consideration to the arguments for and against change in due course.

Why are we building a new secondary school?
It’s about choices – Bolingbroke is a parent-led initiative. In addition, Chestnut Grove has no spare capacity, so I would argue that a new school is needed in this part of the borough.

Location of new secondary school
Wandsworth secondary schools are currently well-spread around the borough, with four in the Putney/Wandsworth area, one in Battersea and four in Balham/ Tooting. By 2019-20, there will be a potential shortage of places unless we create additional places and the Council is working closely with all the local schools – including the academies and the planned new Bolingbroke free school – to make sure we have enough high quality places to meet every family’s needs.

[RaviGovindia]

Sibling policy
School admission policy is determined by the School Admissions Code, which is a national framework to ensure fair admissions. The Council has rigorous processes in place to check the validity of applications from any address. I am aware of the implications of the sibling rule but it is clearly wrong to split siblings’ education because of the additional pressure it puts on the parents/carers and on the children themselves.

What is the council doing to raise school standards?
It's wrong to say that Wandsworth only has a handful of outstanding schools. Currently 30 of the Borough’s schools (38%) are judged outstanding by Ofsted and a further 37 schools (46%) are judged as ‘good’ or ‘good with outstanding features’. These are among the highest proportions in any London borough and indeed nationally and we don’t have any schools judged less than satisfactory. We’re not complacent either – the Council has set a clear ambition for half its schools to be judged outstanding within the next two years, and all schools to improve further. Plans are already in place to achieve this.

School brochure not received
Correction - contrary to my earlier reply, Independent schools do not routinely issue pupils with a Wandsworth state schools brochure. The Council promotes the availability of this annual publication throughborough-wide posters, its website and in the local press. You can obtain a copy by contacting our Pupil Services team on 020 8871 7316 or download one at http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/admissions, from where you can also apply online