Holy Roses, I may be wrong but Allsorts was funded by the Mitcham Lane Baptist Church. It was approved a couple of years ago by Wands Council for the nursery grant (so you could use it there) but it didn't actually get any funds per se from Wands. The cuts have come from the church as oppose to the council.

So pretty soon a myth might emerge regarding the choice of organisation to run the school - in the absence of an answer to the question. How exactly was the choice arrived at?

For those interested in the facts, the following relates to ARK Schools GCSE student outcomes:

Official GCSE figures released in Jan 2011 confirmed that ARK Schools has secured a fourth year of improved GCSE performances across its academies. ARK’s 5 academies with GCSE results achieved an average rise of 12 percentage points over last year’s results. Since each school opened as an ARK academy, the average annual increase in pupils achieving 5 GCSEs including English and mathematics is now 10 percentage points - up from 7.8 percentage points last year - which makes ARK Schools the most successful academy group for GCSE improvement in the country.

Some examples from specific ARK schools:
1. At Burlington Danes - 89% achieved A*-C in English Lit
2. Charter - 74% in the same subject
3. Globe - 78% in French
4. St Albans - 100% in Eng Lit
5. Walworth - 96% in Biology

It is always worth checking the actual facts when someone writes that ARK has "only 3 schools which had exam results in 2010". As can be seen from above there are 5 schools with relevant GCSE results and they are all doing pretty well in terms of year on year improvment. Myths indeed do abound!

I think it's just the final sign-off on the business case (a formality?). I can't imagine Wandsworth Council would have spent that amount of money unless they were pretty sure the school was going to get the go-ahead. I guess recruitment has to happen now in order to get a head in place in time for a 2012 opening (it's a bit like the football season as heads have a certain time in the academic year to resign from a post).

Sorry for being thick BUT,
Hasnt the building already been bought and teaching recruitment already begun ?

This last post implies the final decision is still to be made?

Very confused,
AA

mrsmilk - why are you so interested in the process for choosing ARK? The final decision to give the school the go-ahead will be made by the government and that decision will include whether ARK is deemed suitable I presume? Where's the problem?

good article - talks about the council meeting

http://jamescousins.com/2011/02/the-bol ... ins.com%29#

sure, I'm waiting ...

My pleasure poppet
Back to the debate then?

talkman,
thank you for your valuable contribution

Ooh yummydaddy do settle down you'll give yourself a heart attack if you're not careful, your responses to anyone who doesn't share your ideas are so pompous. Don't fall off your high horse love. Does your voicemail say "please leave your message after the high moral tone"?

By what criteria is that a 'good' article, after the moan about lunch with the kiddies he admits he doesn't even know how much the school will cost to set up!!

There was a bit of toing and froing about the need for this school it was on another thread that I can't find. I think it was something about being acosted outside a library.

FWIW I don't think this school will free up catchment places at Graveney other children with high marks in the exam will just step up and fill them, the issue as pointed out on the Belleville thread is as much places in a good school for which there seems to be an infinate demand as it is school places IYSWIM

I'm sure someone will come and help you find it, (ask Annabel )

good article wrt to "building on what there is"

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyy ... y-expense/

We have just lost the funding for new build at Graveney school in the Furzedown area, whose catchment area is very restricted and it has no sibling rule.

Also, we put our youngest of 3 on the list for the local play school, Allsorts. The place was accepted a year ago. Then we received a letter saying the school will be closed due to funding cuts. All other state-run nurseries near us are now full and some of those are threatened with closure, in a very real sense.

In both cases, the funding was withdrawn by government. But at the other end of the same flagship borough a new flagship school is being funded in an area that seems already well served. I understand people nearer the school are interested in the details of who is running it and how, and support the very healthy debate. I seem to have missed the bit where we discussed whether the new school which is benefitting from other schools' closure / stagnation should be ditched - in favour of building on what there is.

Agree I've been wondering what's in it for ARK to open this school? (except for the obvious they might be hoping re exam results) I don't see how it fits with their remit (a brief look on their website didn't really tell me what their remit was) I was however impressed with all the glossiness for a school that was still pie in the sky (at that time)

Can anyone tell me?