James Barber

Hi Otta, You don't get to be a charity since 1369 (from memory) without being cautious. The Worshipful Company will make a final go/no-go decision late June. This is the final project decision gate for them to apply in November to open our free school. We're 99% certain they will proceed. The 1% is if they hadn't spotted something crucial. It's also to ensure that by late june Knight's Academy has made the progress required. We could have achieved 100% certainty by going with Harris last Autumn but that wasn't what people told us they wanted. And with two Harris secondary schools we concurred.

I've added to the first post on this thread the logic and thinking behind choosing Haberdashers' Aske's over The Charter School. Any question about it please email me direct.

Have you not got a URL to link to this consultation?

No, Otta. When the minimum wage was introduced it did not lead to lots of jobs being lost. It led to poor people having a little more money which they spent on local services creating more jobs. This is why even the Tory party now support the minimum wage having previously predicted huge job losses. The Living Wage is a logical extension of the minimum wage. I hope that the minimum wage will ASAP be raised to Living Wage rates. It is crazy that we all pay more taxes to pay for benefits to subsidise low wages. I'd sooner pay sensible honest prices to employ people on sensible wages. Back to cinemas. Can't wait for the Picturehouse to submit its planning application and open before Christmas.

Hi unlurked, Large Eurobins are necessary because Lordship Lane businesses don;t work in concert with one cheaper contractor.

Hi 85volga, Commercial businesses each have commercial waste contracts for waste disposal. In an ideal world all the Lordship Lanes businesses would have one commercial waste contractor realising lots of bulk purchasing savings and ensuring a better service. When asked the business association SSBA didn't feel they wee suitable for this. But they're interested in forming a Business Improvement District (BID). If successful I could see this taking such a scheme forward and others. Bulk energy buying being another ya to save lots of cash for local indie businesses. Until then though please email specific locations and times troubling you and I will try and improve. Hi Zenoria, I've not spotted any planning application yet. If you spot a planning notice for the site on any lamp posts please prod me ASAP.

I'm really sorry Stateeducation that the proposed new Haberdashers' Aske's East Dulwich College have offended you. Clearly no amount of consideration was ever going to satisfy you unless it produced the result you want. I'm sorry but The Charter School bid was good but not as good at the Haberdashers'. Many on the Steering Group who clearly started the process favouring The Charter School changed their minds when they had all the facts submitted by the providers. I'm proud of the East Dulwich community leadership role I and my ward colleagues have played in getting us this far. Not much point electing people to be councillors if they don't get things done. I'm also proud of the Harris Primary school that we did move heaven and earth to acquire the former East Dulwich Police Station site to house it on. I'm proud of all the 20mph and traffic calming, regenerated Dulwich Leisure Centre, new grove vale library coming next Spring. I could go on and on and on. I'm a small p politician solely in it to make a positive difference. I am committed to make East Dulwich great. For that we need people to have great reasons to stay rather than the flight to the suburbs for great schools that is still taking place. When families stay they contribute more to the community making longer term links. What's your vision for the area? Why don't you stand publicly without hiding behind anonymity?

Hi Stateeducation, No stitch up. The recommendation of which free school applications should be approved will be made by civil servants and Lord Nash (a conservative peer) will make the decision. I am frustrated that two school providers will be applying for the same location. Each bid will involve huge expense and senior management time and one must lose and will see no gain for the resources consumed. The Steering Group and Haberdashers' are non political. Frustratingly so when we need to twist some arms. The one good thing is The Charter School application will ensure they won't be able to contest the Haberdashers' application stating no need or demand for a secondary school.

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.