samstopit

Hi MsMaz

I'm on the Parent Steering Group supporting the Haberdashers bid. You may know that the steering group is recommending to Habs that they use a nodal point from which to measure distance for admissions purposes. The nodal point would be to the East of Lordship Lane. This would mean that the school could meet local need for a co-ed secondary despite the Dulwich Hospital site being a little further West of where we ideally need it to be.

Habs can only go with this option if its what sufficient numbers of our supporters want. You might want to give feedback to the consultation if you haven't already, saying that you would support a nodal point which would allow the school catchment to meet local need to the East of LL. The feedback form is here:

http://www.haaf.org.uk/New-East-Dulwich-Secondary-School-1

And / or come along to the Habs drop-in evening at Goose Green school tomorrow (Thursday 25th) at Goose Green school from 6.30 to 8pm. You can ask as many questions as you like and submit any feedback you want to give. Flyer attached.

By the way, I also live on Peckham Rye and am in the same boat as you. Highly unlikely we would get into a Charter school on the Hospital site with their crow's flies admissions policy.

I hope this is some help.

Redjam if you live in a black hole for co-ed secondaries please do fill out the haberdashers online feedback form and tell us where you are. We are trying to design an admissions policy that addresses unmet need in ED.

Thanks Londonmix. Tessa has been very supportive. You can tell from her letter she agrees that the priority in terms of local need is for a secondary school. It remains to be seen what Nicky Morgan's take will be, but we will post on here when we get a response. If her reply indicates that she thinks the Harris primary is a priority over a secondary (particularly if she thinks it should go on the dulwich hospital site) we will have to mobilise ...

If you read the Q&A on the have your say thread (page 12) it answers your question. I would post it here but am out hunting down a dodgy accountant :)

Hi bornagain

As a member of the steering group who has been working her arse off for several months to try to set up an outstanding secondary school for our community, I am a little put out by your request that we pull our socks up.

If you have a look on the separate threads about the community meeting and the feedback forms you will see that we have put up a link to a FAQ paper which gives a response to the fraud allegations as well as setting out Habs' strengths as our chosen provider and more details about what the proposed school will look like. We have been working extremely hard to engage the community on this to make sure we get the admissions policy right and understand what people need. This included delivering leaflets to every single house and flat in East Dulwich, Peckham and Nunhead, attending a deputation at Southwark cabinet on the schools places strategy, writing letters to Michael Gove and Tessa Jowell and lobbying council members behind the scenes to find solutions to the various issues that keep cropping up about the site. We meet weekly - some of us more often - and email daily.

But clearly we are not doing enough. I'll tell my kids we aren't going to the park today as mummy has to go and solve a case of historical fraud against the Haberashers Federation.

Useful Q&A document on the 'have your say' thread which addresses the fraud on page 12.

Haberdashers Easy Dulwich could be quite problematic :)

Do we have to have College at the end?

Haberdashers East Dulwich would be a better name in my view.

This is the motion:

MOTION FROM COUNCILLOR CHARLIE SMITH (Seconded by Councillor Helen Hayes)

East Dulwich Secondary School

Council assembly:

1.Notes that there is clear evidence of the need for a secondary school in the Dulwich area in order to meet local demand and that the Dulwich hospital site has been identified as the only suitable site in the local area.

2. Notes that two providers have put forward proposals for a new secondary school on this site and that both are backed by strong local parental campaigns and have the full backing of the council and local MPs.

3. Notes that the need for primary school places in this part of the borough is being met through a number of new local free school proposals and the expansion of existing primary schools, including Ivydale School, which is the preferred choice of local parents.

4. Supports the view of local parents that what is needed on the Dulwich hospital site is a new secondary school, not another primary school.

5. Believes that it is completely unacceptable for the coalition government to be progressing plans for a primary free school on the Dulwich hospital site without consulting local parents or the local authority.

6. Believes that blocking a new and much needed secondary school in this area would completely go against the coalition government?s own policy of responding to local need and demand, as well as the free school aspiration of parent led schools with a diversity of providers.

7. Calls on cabinet to press the Education Secretary to be open and transparent about his plans for the Dulwich hospital site and to listen to the views of the local community and their elected representatives who have been campaigning for a secondary school on this site.

8. Calls on councillors from all parties to stand firmly with local people who want a secondary school in East Dulwich, rather than supporting another primary school, which would limit rather than increase parental choice, in an area where the council has worked hard with popular local schools to expand places and meet demand.

Note: If the motion is agreed, any proposals will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration.

Edited as posted on wrong thread.

Grabot what makes you think it's a school for Peckham? Clearly there is a part of ED which borders Peckham and is becoming one and the same ... The area which needs a co-ed secondary is arguably the area to the east of LL which is outside the charter catchment.

Edited because posted on wrong thread.

Banding + nodal point on the 'wrong' side of ED would help.

A nodal point for admissions to the east side of LL has got to be the fairest way of doing it if it's a school for ED families. Could have one nodal point at the hospital site and one elsewhere - that way families who live close to the site could still get in.

Clux - if Haberdashers (or Charter) manage to open a secondary school on the Dulwich hospital site, there is a chance the catchment could reach as far as Nunhead for the first year of entry. I think James has said this elsewhere in this thread. A new school would be less well known and so the catchment would be wider for Y1. Obviously not guaranteed but it's a possibility for your daughter.

The Harris Nunhead primary is clearly not in the right spot for Nunhead families if it does open on the hospital site. Younger children need their school to be closer. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

James, when families gave their support for a new Harris primary, were they supporting a Harris Primary for Nunhead or for elsewhere in ED? In your view do we need another primary for Nunhead families beside the expansion of Ivydale?

Nxjen if you look at the other thread, James has explained that Gove wasn't muddled, as we hoped. Tessa was indeed referring to the secondary school in her letter, and he replied to say he's intending to use the site for the nunhead Harris primary. So we need to persuade decision makers to allow the nunhead primary to open elsewhere.

If you haven't seen it, the parents steering group for the Habs campaign have sent a letter to Michael Gove asking for clarity on the Dulwich Hospital site and stating the case for a secondary school rather than a primary. Suggest we all like and share on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/NewSchDulwich

It's also on twitter @NewSchDulwich

If you like the New Secondary School East Dulwich page on Facebook you will see the parents steering group has posted a letter that they have sent to Michael Gove.

You can also see it on twitter @NewSchDulwich

Possibly they are talking to the DH about the hospital site for a secondary school and Gove is muddled between the two school bids.

To be fair, the two secondary schools have been preparing their bids to DFE. The timeframe is to submit to DFE in the autumn after public consultation.

There is to be a health centre on the site too. I'd have sympathy for a primary school on the site alongside a secondary if there was a need for another primary. Surely we have enough new primary schools now?

Dear Michael Gove

It's this simple. We need a co-ed secondary school for East Dulwich. We don't need another primary, thanks very much. The hospital site is the only site.

Please do as Tessa asks and listen to the community.

Yours

Everyone who has been backing the ED Secondary school campaign (more than 600 local families and counting)

What DuncanW said.