James Barber

Hi Unlurked, That;s why I test ideas on this forum, Focus leaflets, SE22 and emails as well as knocking on all East Dulwich doors every year.

Hi stateeducation, I don't campaign using my family. You won't find staged pictures of me with them. To comment further would infringe on my children's right to privacy. As for me I went to a still failing primary schools and mediocre comprehensive school in Essex. I was remarkably unsuccessful. Came within a whisker of being sent to a special school. Few O levels and very poor A levels. Single parent family in a council house. I didn't finish a degree due to family circumstances. I've worked extremely hard ever since to make up the huge head start many have had in comparison. I'm in politics to make a difference. You're right my kids are too old to attend the school we're creating but I would send them if it was in place. Haberdashers' Aske's will be a fantastic school and add to the other great schools we have. But I and many others don't live in the catchment for great state secondary schools. Everyone should. And that's what is driving me to ensure enough places and that they are great places.

Hi njc97, Yes, Haberdashers' Aske's project team would be free and have sufficient capacity when required for the new ED school. Hi Splendid, I'm sure both free school applications will be made in the November round. They would be decided Jan/Feb. Then into planning permissions etc and property/land contracts. Building works would need to start around September 2015 to open September 2016. So the key event if application, decision and site.

Hi bornagain, Clearly supporting a bid will help make it happen. We now appear to have two bids. One that already has 511 families supporting it, has been working on this for over 6 months, and a school provider that has successfully negotiated through the complex and challenging free school process. They're also fully supported by a charity in place since 1369. Versus another campaign started yesterday with no publicly stated support and has never successfully applied and opened a free school. I'm sure they could but it will take them more time and effort and very probably is less likely to be approved. so yes join a campaign but do consider which one is most likely to succeed and provide the extra places we need.

Hi clux, With a new secondary school on the Dulwich Hospital site you should be fine if you live within a 2 mile radius Setpmebr 2016. If you want to email directly happy to work through the likely scenarios with you.

Hi Sue, not everyone can afford auto top-up. They need to manage their finances much more closely. So yes for many people auto top-up is god send but for others it could cause terrible problems with their finances. Hi WW, Yes, you did. And no reason why they couldn't do this. It would seem during quieter times a more sensible use of their time.

Hi Otta, I initiated this campaign .And your saying I should feel chuffed its proven successful or try and take any credit for it. does this mean when I screw up it won't be my fault either!

I used to know a Canadian Teacher. Every seven years they were entitled to a sabbatical year. With so many teachers burning out in thE UK something like this could make the teaching profession attractive again and ensure our children have teachers with renewed energy and verve.

Hi albert, I've PM'd you. I can't respond without sharing details of my private family life and things about my children. I've never used my family for political purposes. The Steering Group looked outside the borough for a provider. We've enough Harris secondary schools in East Dulwich the most obvious provider in Southwark. The Charter had never previously expressed any interest and when I asked them 2 1/2 years ago about whether they'd be interested in opening a primary school they were very clear they had no intention of ever opening another school. Suddenly when another school is proposed they want to open it. When we in confidence contacted Prendergast and Haberdashers', the former said no but almost immediately we were contacted by The Charter. The very recent ex.head of The Charter School is now at Prendergast. As for Lib Dems taking the credit. I initiated the idea with my ward colleagues and we worked tirelessly over the winter collecting support from families. 2/3 of the current support was collected by Lib Dems. Habderdashers' does have several schools and one has just had a poor Ofsted rating. But importantly Haberdasher's took on a failing school, has taken it from 13% 5 GCSE's at that school to 55% with Ofsted expecting further improvement. Haberdashers' have chosen to work on new schools to them that take a lot of effort rather than resting on their laurels and cruising Cinema. For the last four years I've been talked to five different cinema providers trying to persuade one to come to Lordship Lane. I'm delighted that one of them Picturehouse now has plans. If their plans fall through I have another two willing to come to Lordship Lane.

Hi WW, We're not all same. Not everyone has internet access. Many journeys that start at East Dulwioch will end somewhere outside the Oyster area.

East Dulwich station definitely needs more TLC. It regularly looks a mess. Have asked Southern about getting both ticket machines working better.

Southwark recently updated its forecasts to show by 2018 a shortage of 19 forms of entry for year 7 pupils. The proposed Haberdashers' Aske's East Dulwich College would provide 6 forms of entry from 2016 where the shortage starts. Clearly Southwark will need another two secondary schools> The Charter School could be well placed with more time to provide one of them. That would be a great result for Southwark residents. It also recognises the extra time for a fabulous bid The Charter School will need.

Hi Scruffy Mummy, Haberdashers' have a such a project management team coming to the end of building a new free primary school and rebuilding another junior school. They've also rebuilt Crayford relatively recently. So the successful project team would move onto our new secondary school project.

Hi Jeremy, The Department for Education are very unlikely to approve two new schools. So we now have a potentially bitter contest between two rival campaigns.

Hi ITATM, Certainly doubling the number of pupils at The Charter School on the existing site would be more cost effective. Hi Derek, I've led a campaign for a new free school. close to 500 families have lent their support for this campaign and a Steering Group of 20 parents from those 500 families have worked really hard to make the best possible decision to select a school provider. I said a thorough scoring exercise was undertaken after many many hours of working by Steering Group parents and included sharing our questions and criteria enabling a thorough response from The Charter. I'm sorry coming second is unacceptable to you and that you've decided to start your own campaign. Southwark and Lambeth need great providers and I'd have hoped if you now have discovered a desire to provide another secondary school you'd try and create one where no campaign exists and is needed.

Hi Derek, I'm really sorry you feel this. Myself and other met with Charter School people a number of times. We've spent many many hours seriously considering your proposals to us. A number of our Steering Group had been very pro working with The Charter School which drove what we felt our thorough assessment of your capabilities and strong desire to be chosen. But as I've said after a thorough scoring exercise based on your written responses to the questions and criteria we shared with you fully we decided to go with a different provider who scored noticeable more. Our new East Dulwich secondary school being provided by Haberdashers' can only extend choice and for the many who wish to have Charter education it is likely that the catchment area will rise as those that wish for a Haberdashers' education go there. It should be a win win for parents with more choice from more great schools.

Hi Bumpkin, grabot, Many thanks. Do encourage family and friends to sign-up their support via www.newschool.org.uk hi born-again, No and yes. No, schools have choices to make how they spend their valuable time, energy and cash. The Charter School appears to have decided it wants to avoid extra competition and put its resources into fighting to do open one themselves. Not a positive strategy. I would have hoped those resources and energy would be put into improving their school further. But yes free school process do make this a possibility.

Hi Vik, We had a fair selection process and the parents Steering Group scored both Haberdashers' and Charter School against the same criteria. This resulted in a unanimous decision to go with Haberdashers'. We invested a lot of time meeting and considering the Charter School. Hence my view that Haberdasher's are the best partner for our new school. So yes I am disappointed that they have decided to try and replace our decision with their own decision. They clearly don't want increased competition. It will be hugely distracting from them in a year they should expect an Ofsted inspection. It will complicate the whole process for everyone.

Hi bornagain, I'm sorry this came across in this way. A lot of time has been spent meeting with the Charter School, Haberdashers' Aske's and other school providers. The final decision was a scoring exercise to compare those first two and their ability to provide a new secondary free school in East Dulwich opening 2016. Habderdasher's came a very clear first. I had hoped Charter would accept this gracefully. Part of the risk of The Charter School applying for a new school is the Department for Education saying why not dramatically expand your current school. Go up rather than adding another site. I'm really not sure existing Charter school parents would want this risk. Equally The Charter School last had an Ofsted inspection five years ago. So they are due another one. These are major undertakings. Hatcham College has just had one. All these factors and more were taken into account when we decided to go with Haberdashers' Aske's.

Thanks rahrahrah.

Today I can announce that the secondary school provider we've decide to go with is Haberdashers' Aske's Federation and to model our new East Dulwich secondary school on their Hatcham College (minus the primary school part). Great news for our area. Sadly The Charter School who we didn't choose to go with have launched what appears a spoiling campaign.

Hi Vik, But having another Charter won't give people more choice but more quantity. They also didn't come out as well when we compared them to another provider. They don't have experience of the free school process. They originally thought they could bang out an application in a few weeks. So we took advice from the Free School Network. It's all rather sad. This isn't a strategy for the school but a reaction to not being chosen to provide our school.

No, its not The Charter School. We did a scoring exercise with between The Charter School and the provider we unanimously chose to go with - they'll be announced later today. TCS scored significantly less points than the provider we've chosen. This is really unfortunate and can inly distract Charter coming into an Ofsted visit. This appears a spoiling exercise. Until this campaign was ignited Charter hadn't been thinking of this. Creating another Charter is a great idea. Just not on the doorstep of the existing one!

Hi TE44, The provider has asked that the Steering Group helps further until the free school application in made in November. Planning a public meeting when they have more capacity when exams start which fortuitously is post the local elections. The Steering Group will help with that and delivering lots of leaflets.

Hi KK, I've Pm'd for more details. Hi Worldwiser, A ticket office should be able to provide much more bespoke service. So keen to keep it open and staff keeping an eye locally on our station. For run of the mill tickets I would suggest topping up Oyster cards over the internet wherever possible to avoid queues. But both machines should be reliable. The cover on one looks very Heath Robinson and tacky. Let me ask the train operating company.