Wandsworth council have launched their promised admission consultation
http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/bsf/consultations
(Hopefully another post can discuss the Alderbrook expansion and this topic can stick with the Belleville proposals).
The end date is 1st Dec and a public meeting will be held at Belleville School at 630pm on Mon15 Nov
This new consultation is the council's response to the large number of objections made back in June to the proposal to use the school site on Forthbridge Rd as an expansion site for the Belleville School. The majority of the 479 objections were made then about the decision to still calculate admission distance from the Belleville School main site (some 1km away from the Forthbridge Rd site), even though the Forthbridge Rd site would in-effect be run like a separate One Form Entry school site. Despite the objections the council went ahead with the Belleville expansion, which will start using the Forthbridge site in 2011. As Belleville is such an oversubscribed school, even children who might live next door to the Forthbridge site will not qualify to attend it.
A future consultation was promised in July to address these concerns
SUMMARY OF NEW CONSULTATION
The council have made a specific proposal for either one or two Ordered Geographical Priority Areas (GPAs) for Belleville
The first GPA is south of Battersea Rise and centred around Belleville, the second is north and centred around the Forthbridge site
The council has encouraged respondees to support either one/both/no change in admissions (starting in 2012).
It is a complicated set-up in which the sibling admission rule is also adjusted, but with an exception is being suggested to the first GPA: If it is created in 2012 then any children with a sibling who was admitted to the school before this consultation process will still have priority provided they are still on the roll of the school i.e. this is why this the exception ends in 2017 (7years from now)
DECLARATION
I am a resident local to the Forthbridge site. I was involved in the previous campaign of objections as I feel strongly that local children should be able to access a school on their doorstep and the "annex" set-up just creates a school that is isolated from its local community. It doesn't seem that fair or in anyone's long term interests.
That said clearly pressure on school places is a real problem. I have been able to have discussions before on this forum in a polite, fair and reasonable manner and would like to again with anyone who is interested. I am particular interested in the views of current & would-be Belleville parents