LondonMix

They are just describing ?fair banding practice?. It simply means that instead of the bands being determined by average national ability (which can be very different from local ability in a small catchment), they create the bands based on the proportional ability of the students that apply. The implication of this is that if lots of low aptitude students (compared to the national average) apply, then more of the bands will be made up of low aptitude students. If the majority of students who apply are high aptitude then the opposite will be true. I?m not really sure this is the best way to band but its seen a ?fair? for the following reason. If 100 students apply for 10 spaces and 90 of those students are in the bottom 10% of scores nationally, then 90% of the places within the bands will be allocated to students in the bottom 10% of scores. Without fair banding, only 1 student out of the 90 low achievers that applied would potentially get a place. The other 9 places would be given to the small subset of 10 candidates who tested above the top 10%. What is worrying about it is that it doesn?t actually make schools comprehensive. It only bands based on who wants to apply which could be all high or all low achievers. If the area is academically mixed and students of all abilities apply to the school in proportional numbers its not a problem but it obviously can skew heavily depending on who bothers to apply.

I hope that's true! I heard the same about Speedo's Pizza and those dreams were dashed!

Really interesting article. jennyh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.newstatesman.com/glosswitch/2014/07/mot > herhood-not-enlightenment-and-we-should-not-condem > n-mothers-human-frailty > > Just read this interesting take on motherhood. As > someone with questionable mental health (?!), that > has remained a daily battle despite having > children, I actually found it very accurate in a > number of ways. Thought it was a thoughtful read.

Yep, rent reviews are standard every 5 year even for large commercial leases. Sounds like you have a good deal and yes getting a good lawyer is very important, particularly for a new business.

Hi James, that link doesn't answer my questions. Also, exactly what powers does Lord Nash have to intervene and what is the process and what are the points that he can formally consider. Right now, the process by which the EFA makes its decisions (consultation with the academy provider / with the LA/ etc) and on what criteria the allocate land to competing applications (assessment of community need / first come first serve / etc) is totally opaque. The very specific questions raised in my previous post are what I would like specific answers to please.

James, none of the questions have been answered-- the steering committe simply have stated they have the same questions as me. As someone who has been through the process several times with other schools, I believe you should know how the EFA makes its determiniation, what points are officially considered and what powers Lord Nash and Nicky Morgan have to intervene. I hope these should be fairly simple and straightforward to answer.

Also, I'd prefer almost any other option besides Hatcham for the school's name as its an oxymoron. Perhpas this can be put to a vote and officially changed before its too late?!

Thank you steering group. I imagine Habs (having done this multiple times) should be in a good place to help answer these questions. I do hope there is an official policy answer to the questions raised. Right not, it feels like a free for all that allows the most politically connected institutions push their agenda ahead without any official process for the community and the local authority to make important objections. I very much appreciate your consistent efforts to get the best outcome for the local community and all the hardwork that goes with that.

James, I would very much appreciate a detailed response to all of the questions raised below. LondonMix Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So what powers do Nicky Morgan and Lord Nash have > exactly and why is there a difference of opinion > about the right contact person. > More to the point, who within the EFA establishes > the appropriateness of land acquisitions for free > schools? What exactly is considered and which > parties concerns are taken into consideration? > > ? The school?s preferences (ie. Harris) > ? Is the LA consulted? > ? Other proposed free schools that may need to the > site > ? The local communities preference when competing > schools both want a site > > Also, who (Nicky Morgan or Lord Nash or someone > else) has the ability to over-rule a decision made > by the EFA in consideration of any / all of the > above? > > Gove?s letter suggested that as the Dulwich > secondary was not yet approved, it wasn?t possible > for the EFA to consider reserving the land for it. > Are there any actual guidelines? Right now, I?m > concerned that prior to the secondary school > applications for Charter and Habs being submitted, > the EFA will acquire the site for Harris and it > will be a fait-accompli. There of course will be > finger pointing and everyone stating it wasn?t > their preference but without any real transparency > about the process its difficult to understand what > the best course of action really is to preserve > the interests of the community.

intexasatthe moment Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I hadn't realised Habs want 100% of the site ? > Surely not ,do you mean 100% of the bit that's > earmarked for the school ? > James has clarified in the past the percentage of > the site that would be used for a school ,I > remember him reassuring another poster that there > was plenty of space left for Health provision . No, 100% of the site that the NHS will sell off. The NHS are keeping the portion they need for continued health provision on site. Sorry if that wasn't clear. James, thanks for the clarification though I am still not sure that the higher valuation precludes the EFA from acquiring the school site based on what you've said. Practically speaking, as a tax payer, I don't care as its money moving between one government body to another and is entirely neutral from a citizen's point of view.

To the Parent?s steering committee?the current Dulwich Hospital SPD and the broader Dulwich SPD envision the surplus hospital land being used for mixed use development including community facilities (such as a school) and office / residential development. I understand that to incorporate all the needed facilities for a optimally sized secondary school, Habs believes they need 100% of the site for educational purposes. The need to change the SPD is predicated on the assumption that the EFA will not pay market value for land that can in part be used for residential purposes. Is there an official policy with the EFA regarding how much the will pay for a site? In London, where land values are very high, if the EFA cannot pay market value, it appears new schools can only ever acquire sites that were once some form of government land with explicit limitations against using it for non-community purposes. The entire land allocation / land acquisition process is very opaque and it would be appreciated if those involved she some light.

So what powers do Nicky Morgan and Lord Nash have exactly and why is there a difference of opinion about the right contact person. More to the point, who within the EFA establishes the appropriateness of land acquisitions for free schools? What exactly is considered and which parties concerns are taken into consideration? ? The school?s preferences (ie. Harris) ? Is the LA consulted? ? Other proposed free schools that may need to the site ? The local communities preference when competing schools both want a site Also, who (Nicky Morgan or Lord Nash or someone else) has the ability to over-rule a decision made by the EFA in consideration of any / all of the above? Gove?s letter suggested that as the Dulwich secondary was not yet approved, it wasn?t possible for the EFA to consider reserving the land for it. Are there any actual guidelines? Right now, I?m concerned that prior to the secondary school applications for Charter and Habs being submitted, the EFA will acquire the site for Harris and it will be a fait-accompli. There of course will be finger pointing and everyone stating it wasn?t their preference but without any real transparency about the process its difficult to understand what the best course of action really is to preserve the interests of the community.

Office leases more so than retail and particularly so for small tenants and even more so outside of central London. Large tenants won't get a break clause for 10 years. A typical supermarket lease is 25 years during which time the landlord cannot remove them though there will typically be rent-reviews every 5 years (upwards only) that both parties are contractually obligated to agree.

parentsteeringgroup Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Some good news - Tessa Jowell has written to Nicky > Morgan, Sec of State for Education, regarding the > acute local need for a secondary school. Link > below. > > https://twitter.com/jowellt/status/492214330939940 > 864 That is good news! At one point the parent steering committee was intending to approach her informally to explain the need for the hospital site to be used for a secondary school. Has that happened and do you have any sense if she is supportive of putting the Harris Nunhead primary school on the hospital site. It would be good to understand for those more closely involved when a decision on the how to allocate the site will be made by the powers at be.

Cora Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why are you all talking about driving to > school....aren't we talking about a supermarket > application here? Yes, of course you are right. Except M&S Simply Food is not a supermarket, it?s a small convenience store format. The argument whether M&S or the primary school will generate more traffic is a bit daft. Neither will generate much traffic. Only time will tell if the access issues with the lorries is too narrow. However, deliveries up until 10pm at night and starting at 7am in the morning and up to 6 times a day is pretty rotten on a residential street. However, I don?t know how much more an increase this is compared to Iceland or what is considered normal if you live near a shop.

Primary school age children going to different schools is rare as siblings are prioritised before distance when making offers. If there is anyone with too small children at different schools, they will be a very small exception rather than something to plan traffic patterns around. Most people in London do not drive to work. This is not a matter of opinion. Within Inner London (Southwark is part of Inner London), only 21% of people get to work by car. The vast majority use public transport. Heber which is a similar sized primary has 69 staff (including cleaners) so may 13-14 people might travel by car statistically. No one will be driving to this school. The catchment for the nearest primary to it is just over 200m. Unless the school is very unpopular everyone who gets in will be walking to it rather than driving. Teachers and other staff may very well commute by public transport. Everyone I know uses public transport to get to work (including those with cars who primarily use them on the weekend). However, my personal experience is that trades people who have to travel for work by car (and are included in the official stats) make up a hefty portion of that 21% so my guess would be less than 5 staff at most would plan to commute by car.

Short leases in retail are not the norm. 10 to 25 years is still standard in London. Rent reviews occur at fixed intervals but neither the tenant nor the landlord have a break option within the fixed term typically. When businesses set up and then move out quickly its not because their lease has ended, its because they've gone bust. Some, find someone else to take over their lease through an assignment which is also very common.

No one will be driving to this school. The catchment for the nearest primary to it is just over 200m. Unless the school is very unpopular everyone who gets in will be walking to it rather than driving. Teachers and other staff may very well commute by public transport. Everyone I know uses public transport to get to work (including those with cars who primarily use them on the weekend).

The owner must have specific plans with someone else to only offer a two year lease. I wonder who will occupy it from 2016 onwards? Must be something that will involve change of use, complicated planning issues otherwise there wouldn't need to be such a significant gap.

What is the exact timeline for the station redevelopment? I think I remember hearing 2016 but is that still the case? Thanks!

Not really-- it means you need to have the capital reserves to pay your rent, buy your stock, pay your employees etc until your business plan shows you generate enough revenue to be self-sustaining. This is always the case regardless of the rent- just part of starting a business. Have no idea how this compares with the rent for other shops but this shop is quite large so on psm basis might be in line. Anyone have any idea? jimbo1964 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ridiculous.. That means you have to take ?4.5k a > month before you even start.

I think a feminist can certainly want to look pretty and get married (I do and did!) but I am not sure little girls should see that as their main storyline in life. I agree with Otta?for boys / men, stories involve having an adventure that may include a love interest where for girls / women they look for love and maybe have an adventure along the way. It?s kind of weird.

Strange they are only offering a short lease...

Yep-- they also made it clear that only objectors living within 100m of the development would be heard.

If the councillor supports the school opening on the same site as the secondary school, then it matters in my opinion as it fundamentally impacts what facility either Habs or Charter will be able to develop as part of the offering.