James Barber

Hi Fuschia, I'm sorry you feel that. I thought I was being balanced by suggesting results in schools being expanded might not be affected while building works take place with a positive example - effectively dismissing a potential argument against expansion.

Indeed. Free schools are funded by central government. While school expansions are funded by the local authority who without any cpaital plans for such work ask central government nicely - which sadly is most likely doomed to failure certainly for ?40-50m. if the council were to expand schools more cash would pass through Southwarks hand a proportion of which is kept to fund the Southwark Council education dept. services. The academies could apply for funding. I presume they'd need to go through a similar excercise of find supporters which for Dulwich Hamlet shouldnt be hard. The lack of clarity about how much Southwark needs also means any application for funding will be asked for further clarity adding delays. I'm afraid I don't know how the schools would be operationally affected and which bits would need ot be knocked down to make room for new larger buildings. Not an easy experience to work or study through - although St.Anthony's KS2 results are doing really well considering the works they're doing.

I received a call from someone wishing to remain anonymous about this. I contact officers immediately who emailed me back: "Dear Councillor Barber, There have been a number of enquiries about the above over the past week. Some of which have been anonymous." "...team Leader of the Health and Safety team and a known expert in asbestos has visited the site..." as have other Team Leaders in the Council's noise and nuisance team. "...reported that there were asbestos cement roofing sheets that had been removed to a secure part of the site. The sheets were intact and presented no risk to public health. They spoke to the site operatives who advised him of the company that was employed to remove and dispose of the asbestos. Sailesh checked the information provided and can confirm that the company concerned are a reputable company licensed to remove and dispose of asbestos. The enforcing authority for construction sites is the Health and Safety Executive" The HSE have been notigied of this site and the complaints received. "...have dealt with a complaint about a bonfire on site. They visited the complainants property and were unable to witness a smoke nuisance. They advised the complainant to contact them again should the problem recur. The officers spoke to the site operatives and gave advice on what could and could not be burned on site. Essentially it is limited to diseased timber. "Once the officers arrived on site, there was no activity. They walked around the site, could find no evidence of asbestos, but did come across some clear fibre glass sheets that may have been the concern of the anonymous compliant. The officers determined that these were not a risk to public health. However any operative working with this material needs to wear protective equipment. The one operative on site was advised of this. I hope the above answers your enquiry, however if you wish for further information or details please do not hesitate too contact me. Yours sincerely Environmental Health & Trading Standards Manager "

The ?40-50M Renata is in the Cabinet reports 20 November - http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/g4248/Public%20reports%20pack%20Tuesday%2020-Nov-2012%2016.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10 pages 92-100. They relate to proposed 15 to 21 permanent forms of entry expansion across Southwark. So each class will cost ?1.9M to ?3.33M each. For the proposed Dulwich area extra two forms of entry (which isn't enough to cope with the forcasts of 3 forms entry wil lbe required) that would be between ?3.6M to ?6.6M. If providing the 3 forms entry the forecasts predict then ?5.7M to ?9.9M with lots of disruption for the schools involved. No guarantee of where the money will come from. OR we can get a free school which costs Southwark nothing. Has no disruption for our current schools and broadly costs the same amount of money.

Hi TE44, How would a local council give central government no choice? The council isn't seeking widescale support for its plans. Even if it did they don't stack up. The Conservative Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove is promoting free schools. To him it's the only show in town. The only ray of sunshine is using the Localism Act to ask central government to allow Southwark to open new schools. But the process allows central govt to take up to 6 months ot decide whether it agrees or not and would mean new free schools not opening in time. But a useful power for the future if granted. The trouble is so many local authorities, and lets be clear Southwark included in its past, are rubbish at leading on education. As a consequence all LA's have been tarred with this brush by the last Labour and present governments.

The Thomas Moore planning application is now available: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/DocsOnline/Documents/267296_1.pdf A new nursery with some community facilities on part of the 1st floor. What do people think? it looks good to me and we cleatrly have lots of nursery school demand.

Hi EPB, Market stalls are not allowed on Sundays. If you see it again please take a picture and email it to me. Hi camberlou, Have you kept that flyer? I'll ask GLA Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon - also an East Dulwich resident - about this.

Hi TE44, For the expansions to be met the council needs to obtain ?40-50m from central government and obtain a variety of planning permissions, schools agreements, public consultations. For each form entry of expansion of a school will require 7 additional classrooms. That's a lot of building works around a working schools. The ?40-50m is unlikely to come from central government - it's an unprecedented amount of money. Frankly I think it's unlikely to be given and I suspect some political gamesmanship in even pretending it would be. One of the local schools proposed for expanding is Langbourne. It is currently one form entry but can;t even fill that up with the current shortage of places. Unless you live on the neighbouring council estate it is a real pain to get to. So you can expand that school, and Ofsted rate it as GOOD, all you like but already parents are deciding it isnt a practical solution for them. Another proposed local expansion Bessemer Grange, another great school, but similar issues to Langbourne. Expansing Dulwich Hamlet and Infants. It's already a tight squeeze on those sites. Where would naother 7 classrooms fit while building etc. On this basis we don't believe the councils solution is a practical solution and that it risks creating a huge shortfall of places. But if you think The Dept of Education Secretary of State Michael Gove has changed his spots and would welcome a large expansion in local authority provided education in Southwark, will give Southwark ?40-50m, tthen feel free to oppose a Harris Primary school.

Ward councillors were sent an email to alert us and I also get a paper summary of all planning applications - a pain to go through but I do with zeal. applying so consultation goes over a holiday is a very old trick by developers. But it wont go to committee for some time. Whether you supported or objected to the last planning application you will need to do it all again for your views to be counted for this iteration.

Hi Renata, Everything you've described led to the school places issues of 2009. Why are things different and we shouldn't accept the officer views that school admissions are just as likely to return to past trends. Council officers in another department are also forecasting increasing population and that increase includes Dulwich as well as all other areas of Southwark. So assuming officers are not under forecasting we need a whole new school for Dulwich at least + to contiune with rotating buldge classes atthe current level which is hardly satisfactory. Fine idea to expand Langbourne (a Good school as rated by Ofsted) but no one can get there and its already with one form of entry under subscribed despite shortages of school places. The only thing in my mind that would make it really popular is joining it with Kingsdale and guaranteeing admission to Kingsdale. When I last spoke to the head of Kingsdale and chair of governors they were dismissive of the idea. Dulwich Hamlet to expand would need space for an extra seven classrooms. The site is already severely constrained. Bessemer Grange - that could expand if the land opposite was joined to it and ideally the seperating road blocked up. So after all this its clear we need another primary school in Dulwich. As you've said the only way to do that is via the free school route. Other free school providers could do it but could they do it by the 4 January the deadline and could they complete the 130 page application form and find 80 supporters with 1 and 2 year old children. This seems unlikely. Harris are now over half way to that target. Have a draft application form. As for site if anyone can extra the required space from the Dept of Health Lord Harris can. The other driver for Dulwich primary school demand is the Peckham Ryeand Nunhead areas. They have Ivydale and a massive gap. They also need another new school. As for sites their are a number that Harris are investigating in that area.

Hi TE44, i don't have that data or the time to contact every secondary level school in the borough. But I'd be really interested to know if you find out. To get a reall idea of the 'border traffic' you'd need to find the info for neighoburing boroughs. Does the 2011 census just released have any leads?

Yes they could apply to have stall on Mon-Thurs. I'm sure they'd be a free space at 7-8am when they'd set-up. I doubt the passing trade would make it worth while but you never know. When the market was being expanded ED cllrs did try and get the Mon-Thurs dropped in exchange. That's still one of our aims for NCR.

The freeholders has reapplied for planning permission 12-AP-3773: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=9547620 If you are for or against (and you'll need to give reasons acceptable in planning terms) contact the case officers - [email protected] Please do copy me as a ward councillors any email or support or objection so we can be clear local views.

Hi brandapermaul, You omit local schools such as The Charter solely distance based or Kingsdale banding and distance. ED Harris Boys certainly had a lot of local boys when I visited last year from memory. My last visit to the ED Harris Girls was 3 or 4 years ago and the then head ket us largely in their office. So I can't comment.

A plan to move them onto a new area on platform 1. In that way they can be greatly expanded but access would be restricted to station opening times. The lockers should have a notice of them who t ocontact ot hire them or join the waiting list. if its not there, and I wont get to check before the weekend, let me know and I'll try and get a new one placed - they come of when graffiti is removed.

Hi Brandnewguy and Laddy Muck, The pavement lights are being replaced with versions that can be maintained. The old one;s were installed pre my election in 2006. Whoever planned it didnt make sure the council lighting department could maintain them. So gradually they died. The replacements are a slightly larger bore. So the old holes have had to be dimaond drilled out. They've been temporarily tarmaced to stop them being a trip hazard. If the original plan is stuck to - which with the very cold weather I doubt (things don't set at these temperatures) - then the new progammable LED's will be working from 17 DEcember. I'll double check the date today.

Hi Sue, If they do they'll still have the rest of the delights of ED.

Hi Sue, Technically the market is open Mon-Sat inclusive. No market stallholders there Mon-Thurs, a very few on Fridays. Shame they've produced effectively misinformation.

Hi brendapermaul, I doubt most local children go out of Southwark or use private education. As part of the Dulwuch Safe Route to School committee I undertook a short study of a private school pupil catchment area. Overwhelmingly the pupils came from Southwark/Lambeth (the school was very close to the border). I see lots of children walking to The Charter school. I'm rarely around ED Harris Boys at start of finish times so can't comment on it. Buit please don't foget that the ED Harris Boys spent its first two years 2 miles away at Langbourne School.

Thanks bluesky for highlighting this. Several aspects that trouble me. That un barriered piles of rubble etc remain which implies contractors who havent got a clue how they're legally required to work on public highway areas. Quite likely thre works were undertaken to a poor quality and will need redoing sooner than you'd normally expect. Eitherway, council officials are on the case.

Hi Renata, TheDulwich Hospital site is largely vacant. And in public ownership. If any group can knock Dept of Health head together to release 5,000m2 of the 27,000m2 Dulwich Hopsital site Lord Harris can. But where do you and your Labour colleagues stand on this? Do you support more local primary schools or do you think the answer is applying for ?40-50m from central government to expand schools on in most cases very small existing school sites?

Hi TE44, You refer to the last Labour government taking the education department away from the then Labour run council because the it was failnig our children so incredibly badly. The Labour government then appointed highways contractors to run the dept. they equally failed. Then a different contractor to run it. By this time it was the second year of a Lib Dem led council and the then Labour government handed education back to the council to run due they said to the marked improvement in how the council was being run. But this thread is not about the past. It's about how we rapidly provide primary school reception places ASAP.

Hi Chillaxed, I have actively supported the Judith Kerr bilingual German/English school. I've alerted them to the Dulwich Hopsital site and other sites close to East Dulwich including. I'm keen they decide they want to set-up here. Currently they've not narrowed their decision from Southwsark or Lambeth and if Southwark whether Rotherhithe or Dulwich. We've had numoerous emails, several phone calls and met face to face. We need 2 - 3 addiitonal local schools.

Hi brendapermaul, We've contacted all local councillors to try and ensure cross party support. That's hardly looking to make it vote winning. Expanding local schools can be suitable. But the Duwlich Hamlet schools is already very squeezed. Expanding schools above 2 or 3 form entry can cause real issues. Plus the expansions are assuming the government will give Southwark council ?40-50m. Other authorities also need such huge sums and frankly the Conservative Secretary of State michsel Gove is choosing to invest in free school academies. No plans to use East Dulwiuch Community Centre - East Dulwiuch councillors have put a lot of effort into helping it survive and invested a great deal of Cleaner, Greener, Safer capital funding on things such as floodlighting to allow youth activities int winter months. Talking to Harris Federation they find Local Authorities frosty. They're also extremelt impatient to raise standards. That's not necessarily a bad thing for our children.

Hi DenmotherSmith, Please do spread the word, especially to parents of 1 and 2 yo children, that they can help avoid a primary school admissions disaster by supporting a new Harris Primary school in the area OR they can hope the council will find ?40-50M from somewhere. Hi LondonMix and fuschia, Thanks you both for exploring Harris;s performance at secondary level. Beating the national average and adding value is something 10 years ago we hoped would be possible but seemed a huge mountain to climb. I'm chuffed we've all raised out expectations and now think we need more than that. Sadly many Southwark schools have yet to reach the success of Harris. So we seem to have s tark choice for Primary school places. HOpe Southwark find ?40-50m from somewhere and that Southwark schools will still be successful when we have lots of building works on site and bulge classes all over the place OR we build new schools and the only avenue for that is free schools. Pragmatically I prefer the latter.