New Neighbourhood Secondary School. What do you think? Post Reply

[onthecommon]

Hello,

I’m a local parent; part of a group that’s campaigning for a new state secondary school for the Northcote Road area.

We think everyone will benefit; our children of course, and the community we all call home.

For the full story, please go to http://www.thensc.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We’d really like to know what you think. And if you’re on side, we could really do with your help.

Just log on, sign up and forward this to friends, family, colleagues; anyone who might help us gather the support we need to get this campaign rolling.

And on behalf of the Neighbourhood School Campaign, thank you.

[foureyes]

Mmm. I'm suspicious of this. Firstly, I was irritated by the website's (EDITORS NOTE: Foureyes is referring to the website setup by the parents and not NappyValleyNet) rather disingenuous comment about Chestnut Grove having had 777 applicants for 150 places.. be honest, how many of those applicants were from either Belleville or Honeywell?! It makes me wonder whether you wouldn't be better off making a pact with each other to ALL put Chestnut Grove down first on your application forms. If people had started doing this even just 5 years ago, it'd be outperforming Graveney - it is after all an "outstanding school" which is at most 25 minutes' walk from between the commons. This happened at Ravenstone 12 or so years ago and look at it now, people are moving to get in. What about Battersea Tech? same goes there. Perhaps you should consider these two options instead of putting a lot of money/energy into converting the Bolingbroke, which isn't really suitable anyway. How many of you have even looked at either of these secondary schools? I know for a fact that most of the kids who go there travel in from other boroughs.

Or is it just that you want a nice, white, middleclass "Between the Commons Academy" because you don't want to fork out for Emmanuel? Grrr!

[coldatchristmas]

Foureyes - I know what you are getting at but can I assure you that I think this is a great idea and would love this to go ahead!

We couldn't get our children into Ravenstone and so were forced to go down the private route, which we can just afford. But by just I mean really really just.

We're looking at Chestnut Grove and I am pretty sure we will have difficulty in getting in there by the time our children are the right age. Its up and coming and now that it is winning awards its going to get even worse.

So that means that we will have to move. Having another secondary school to cover this huge area makes perfect sense. I know that some parents will be wanting to make it in the image of "Chelsea by the Wandle" but you get those at every school and hopefully they'll all be windfalled taxed to oblivion by the time we get the school built.

I'm in - when do we march!

[foureyes]

My point isn't just about Chestnut Grove. Eliot, Battersea Tech, Southfields.. it's crazy when children travel in from other boroughs into these schools whilst Wandsworth children travel into other boroughs or pay huge amounts of money for private education. I really think that it makes more sense to support local schools rather than building a new one. There is huge parent power at Belleville and Honeywell so why not harness it in a positive way? I'm all for education but I think this is an enormous waste of time and money.

[livegreen]

What a great campaign, you have my support!!!!!

What I cannot understand is why there is not a secondary school in the Northcote area already, its no secret about the number of children here.

Having read the website I agree that this is all about choice !! Why should children who live between the commons, who do not want to or cannot afford to go private, have no state neighbourhood school to go to.

In the last 18 months 2 friends have moved away because their children were not offered a place at an acceptable Wandsworth School (they were both offered places at Elliot...under special measures and that was not on their first 6 choices).

For information, not everyone that lives in Nappy Valley is white middle class, but we all deserve and need a great local school.

[pinklady54]

[A s a parent who has lived in Wandsworth (Nightingale Triangle) for 30 years.

Wandworth CLOSED DOWN 31 SCHOOLS IN ALL in and around 1990 - 1993, including my sons on ,
Wandsworth Common John Archer School.
I complained to government to supply a suitable school as Chestnut Grove was not at the time nor was Tooting Graveney.

They paid ( the Government that is) his fees to Whitgift in Croydon.

Thats why we had NO COUNCIL TAX THEN, and very low now.
Schools were sold of to private bidders, for conversion or bulldozers= John Archer school on Wandsworth Common,
being 1 of them, others converted into Flats or private schools.

[livegreen]

Oh my !!! Did the previous post really mean to say this?? "I'm with foureyes. This seems to be a group for people who live too far away from Graveney, but don't want to cough up for Emanuel! Some of the comments posted on this website regarding Chestnut Grove and its pupils are absolutely staggering in their nastiness and snobbishness."

How strange. Why should people have to cough up for Emanual?? Are you saying that if you live "too far from Graveney " you shoul pay?? Why do you think that ?? There should be good local state secondaries in every neighbourhood - that is why we pay our taxes.
What horrible comments about Chestnut Grove are you talking about - read the website properly - the point is there are too many people trying to get into Chestnut Grove because it is a popular school, therefore if you live "between the commons" you cannot get in. 777 applicants for 150 places......and it will only get worse as the growing child population between the commons gets older.
You are lucky if your children got into a good local state school, the problem is that most/all children leaving schools in the Northcote area will not get into any of their first choice secondary schools because there is no local school.

[lilymoss]

I am a Honeywell parent of 3 children, the eldest is in year 4, and I am delighted to see this campaign. I am so-called "white, middle class" but cannot afford private school fees. Nor do I want to.
The great thing about Honeywell and Belleville is that they are good local schools, with children from a cross section of backgrounds. Children get a rounded view of the world they are growing up in and I think their secondary education should be an extension of that.
Chestnut Grove is an improving school but as a result its catchment area is shrinking. By the time my children are changing schools their options will be very limited. The growing young population in the area is not news - this place has been called Nappy Valley for many years, those babies are growing up fast and need secondary education.
I encourage others to support the campaign.

[foureyes]

Wow - thanks Malantha for actually understand my point. I'm repeating myself now, but as no-one else seems to understand - the issue I have is that whilst people say that CG is difficult to get into, very few people have actually looked around it from between the commons. Had any of those people applied for it, they would have been accepted. I personally know children at that school who travel in from Chrystal Palace, who don't have siblings there, and who didn't get specialist places. Please don't pretend that it's considered an option by Honeywell/Belleville parents because it patently isn't. Same goes for Battersea Tech. The reason children worry about secondary schools is because their parents worry about it so much. There's nothing wrong with being middle class, and I am not criticising middle class people. I just think you are all being a little disingenuous in talking about shrinking catchment areas for CG, when none of you have any intention of even visiting the school..

However, do carry on as I'm really enjoying the "middle class meltdown" - I think if you all stopped being so defensive about this "marvelous idea" and actually looked at the issue properly, perhaps you'd understand.

On the other hand, perhaps not - who knows!

[livegreen]

foureyes I think I do completely understand what you are saying but unfortunatey you seem to have something against people who cannot afford to go to Emanual - why??

This is not about Chestnut Grove, it is about choice !!!

Agree that all people who live close to Chestnut Grove should send their children there and I believe this is happening now. Demand is now great for this school so it should continue its upward surge. (I assume you have a relationship with this school).

Also those who live down in Battersea should (if they choose to) send their children to their local school Battersea Park School.

This would easily fill the schools, however there is NO school in the SW11 6 area - (Between The Commons). The council are trying to add extra classes to Belleville and at the meeting there last monday the Council stated that this specific area has fastest growing birthrate across all of Wandsworth. It has the 2 largest primary schools in Wandsworth and yet NO secondary.

4 secondary schools were in this area, however as stated above they were closed and sold off (I believe this was due to falling birth rates!!!! )

The area needs a secondary school and the Council has received a lot of money from central government to improve secondary provision. There has been a 50% increase in the birthrate since 2000, these children are coming through the system now. A new neighbourhood secondary school is the area with the fastest growing birthrate seems obvious to me.

I urge anyone reading all these posts to go to the campaign website - read the whole story - and sign up. What is there not to support here?

[MGMidget]

With a growing school-age population in Wandsworth it seems right to be planning an additional school to cope with this in a few year's time. I'm in favour of this campaign - it doesn't mean Chestnut Grove will suddenly lose its 'Middle Class' support since some here have quite rightly pointed out that the popularity of the school will grow in the next few years and the catchment area will shrink. So we're still going to need another school somewhere and the empty Bollingbroke site is an ideal opportunity in an area with a large school-age population and currently no (non fee-paying) secondary school. I think its quite right that existing schools should also be improved where possible (indeed I think the council already have a programme to do this?) but existing schools are likely to be limited in how much they can expand by space so we should be seizing the opportunity to lobby for an available site to become a school where its plausible. Are there any other sites in Wandsworth available that could be turned into a secondary school? If not then why not focus on the Bollingbroke (easy access to Clapham Junction and bus routes for those coming from further afield)?

[metoo]

I've lived near this area all my life and I cannot remember there ever being a school in this area??? There WAS Walsingham which was by Clapham Common and is now Thomas' school, but that was all girls. Another all girls which became Newtons Prep, Spencer Park - all boys, now flats I think (bit of a pattern emerging!). I remember girls in my class complaining about the long journey to school from Lavender Hill to Burntwood! I agree that Wandsworth Council did have a policy of selling off anything that didn't move but also I saw people with kids moving out of the borough in droves - until people got sick of the dreadful commute and then a different generation started coming back!
It's not nice, I'd like my boys to be able to walk to secondary school - I live in Lambeth and feel even more desperate than you Wandsworth residents!! 4 good schools is considered an absolute LUXURY in these parts! I'm just curious as to why there is no secondary school in this area of Battersea. There's no harm in a campaign such as this, hope you have better luck than Lambeth, we now have Lambeth Academy but my husband feels anything with 'Lambeth' in the title is doomed to failure (apols now to hopeful LA parents) because of negative associations. Surely that's the closest school to all those 'between the common' kids??

[livegreen]

[onthecommon]

Thank you everyone who has taken time to both contribute and view this thread.

We are receiving great support for the Neighbourhood School Campaign from all quarters. Thank you.

If you have not had a chance to look at the campaign please do log onto http://www.thensc.net/ for the full story, and do sign up for the campaign.

[Just_T]

I am extremely supportive of the idea of another goode state option. A good education is one of the most important things we can give our kids but we can't afford to send our kids to independent school. Our only option is to move, which is pathetic considering how many of us have this issue.