Admissions to Secondary School

[Otta]

Fair enough. And I do sympathise, and dont blame you for wanting to do something. I do have serious reservations about the whole free school thing though.

[Mark Dodds]

Thank you Otta. That's odd, I didn't mean to post all of that - I thought I'd saved it for later - I meant to edit it down a lot. Anyhow it got posted.

I also have serious reservations about the free school thing but want to see where it goes while there's no alternative for the time being. The commitment from the steering group, completely honestly, is for a broad intake of children from all backgrounds. There's no desire to target an easy cohort. It's seeking a genuine mix that works for the whole. From what I've seen I believe Katharine is utterly committed to children from disadvantaged backgrounds - far more than she is to children generally.

The time table is incredibly tight and the barriers to making a successful application are huge anyway. Although it's not impossible I'll be highly impressed if it gets accepted and turns into bricks and mortar by September 2012.

[DenmotherSmith]

Hi Mark

I have been following this thread with great interest, as an atheist I understand the disappointment and frustration you must feel in your son being assigned a 'faith school'. I feel very strongly that parents who do not wish their child to attend a faith school should have their desire respected as a human right. I was therefore surprised that in your meeting with Katharine Birbalsingh the issue of your son being offered a place at a faith school did not seem to be the central theme, in fact an altogether more sinister, daily mail friendly hook, of not wanting your son to be schooled with out fear of stabbing.

?I just want my boy to go to a school where he isn?t in danger of being stabbed, you know? I just don?t want him to be bullied. I want him to feel safe, not scared.?

Was the faith element ironed out of the interview? Because there in lies the rub, the issue of faith schools is so similar to that of free schools, a group of like minded individuals, a faith group, parents, whomever, develops a school around a shared ideology. My fear with the proliferation of free schools is that in ten years this forum and others will echo with countless parents bemoaning that their child has a place at a free school whose ideology does not resonate their own.

I can naturally understand your desire to seek change, to give your child the best education by any means necessary but free schools, through looking rosy now, I believe are a slippery slope to disintegration of state education.

I wish you all the best in securing a place for your son.

[intexasatthe moment]

. From what I've seen I believe Katharine is utterly committed to children from disadvantaged backgrounds - far more than she is to children generally

I'm afraid this grates on me .

Two decades ago when Kingsdale was not the school it is now ( no sixth form ,not mixed in any sense ) and was the only offer made to us ,we chose to send our son to Pimlico .

Long distance ,socially isolating for son but we were happy with the all inclusive feel of the school and the way all children ( disadvantaged ,middle class ,academically able ,those struggling ) were valued as individuals .

Sadly it became an Academy a couple of years ago and we've been flooded with patronising twaddle about " building the social capital " ,faux public school emphasis on houses ,rugby and rowing ,World Challenge ,talks from bankers etc.

The after school club my son enjoyed ( the ageing hippy board game Dungeons and Dragons ) has been ditched in favour of police cadets ,street dance etc .

All fine ,except it's so one size fits all - it's no longer a school that caters for all comers .

That emphasis on aiming to help the disadvantaged really worries me ,it's so patronising and it can also lead to really heavy handed discpline where all children are treated as semi feral and as though they are gun carrying gang members .

Edited to say - of course I'm not saying that it's wrong to aim to help the " disadvantaged " ,it's just that I'm wary of someone who makes it the main/sole focus .

[Queenie23]

DenmotherSmith Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi Mark

>

> I have been following this thread with great

> interest, as an atheist I understand the

> disappointment and frustration you must feel in

> your son being assigned a 'faith school'. I feel

> very strongly that parents who do not wish their

> child to attend a faith school should have their

> desire respected as a human right. I was therefore

> surprised that in your meeting with Katharine

> Birbalsingh the issue of your son being offered a

> place at a faith school did not seem to be the

> central theme, in fact an altogether more

> sinister, daily mail friendly hook, of not wanting

> your son to be schooled with out fear of

> stabbing.

>

> ?I just want my boy to go to a school where he

> isn?t in danger of being stabbed, you know? I just

> don?t want him to be bullied. I want him to feel

> safe, not scared.?

>

> Was the faith element ironed out of the interview?

> Because there in lies the rub, the issue of faith

> schools is so similar to that of free schools, a

> group of like minded individuals, a faith group,

> parents, whomever, develops a school around a

> shared ideology. My fear with the proliferation

> of free schools is that in ten years this forum

> and others will echo with countless parents

> bemoaning that their child has a place at a free

> school whose ideology does not resonate their own.

>

>

> I can naturally understand your desire to seek

> change, to give your child the best education by

> any means necessary but free schools, through

> looking rosy now, I believe are a slippery slope

> to disintegration of state education.

>

> I wish you all the best in securing a place for

> your son.

Well Said - I think you are exactly right.

[Otta]

I totally appreciate the faith school arguments above, but just wanted to say, I have never met anyone who has become christian, or had their beliefs changed by a faith secondary school. Primary, perhaps, as it's a much more impressionable age group, but secondary, I think not.

[BB100]

Crikey is this thread still going? I have a friend who has taught at various C of E schools and she seems to think they are less religious than some non-denom schools. But no I would def home school if offered a faith school.

[taper]

Otta

Not the point. Some of us believe in a secular education system.

[Otta]

You obviously missed the bit where I said I totally appreciated those arguments. I was just trying to make a point, that might have eased some short term concerns, whilst you're busy changing the education system.

[Mark Dodds]

ON the new school: http://michaelacommunityschool.co.uk/

There's going to be an information evening at The Sun and Doves on 5 May at 6pm. If you're interested please register via the website so we can accommodate numbers.

It will be a good opportunity for anyone concerned about new schools being set up by people rather than corporations or local authorities to meet the steering group face to face.

[Mark Dodds]

The Sunday Times covered the Michaela Community School on 17 April. HEre's a copy of it:

http://bit.ly/gyNVrD

[Mark Dodds]

Happy Easter and, oooh, Monarchist things approaching.

This http://bit.ly/hIyudo is an invitation to an information evening at The Sun and Doves at 6pm on Tuesday 5 May - IF you have an interest in securing a decent secondary education for your children who are now in years 3, 4 and 5 then please do come along to find out more. The Steering Group will be there and it will be a really good opportunity to have ANY of your thoughts and questions about the new school properly addressed.

Please spread the word, registration of interest for the school, and for the evening at The Sun and Doves, can be made through the website.

www.michaelacommunityschool.co.uk

[prickle]

Do you know where this school will be built? Also do you have any info on its admissions criteria? Thanks.

[Mark Dodds]

Hi prickle, there is no site for the school yet, see further up this thread - any suitable sites in Lambeth / Southwark within striking distance of Camebrwell / East Dulwich / Stockwell / Brixton / Kennington will be of interest; 40,000sq ft - 4,000sq mt.

The admissions criteria are on the website... hope you can come to the meeting on 5th to find out more!

[KristinH]

..... if anyone is really stuck for secondary schools then do have a look at InterHigh - an online school with real teachers and classmates, lessons given in real time. It's a fab concept and my son loves it. There are kids from all over the world and in the UK and they follow the UK curriculum, taking IGCSE's in Yr11 and then on to A levels.

It's a great alternative to mainstream, structured day/subjects so not as loose as homeschooling but with plenty of freedom as there is no time wasted going to/fro from lessons, disruptions, breaks etc etc.

Happy to tell you more, contact me if you're interested.

Kristin :)

[intexasatthe moment]

Looks fab - what a great idea !

[Mark Dodds]

And you don't need 40,000sq ft..!

Anyway, if anyone out there would like to get involved and are around over Easter please do get in touch. PM me if you're uncomfortable about being seen to support a 'Free School' on a public forum.

[mrchas]

Kennington is currently under consideration

Flyers are now available for distribution !!!

[prickle]

mrchas Wrote:

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> Kennington is currently under consideration

>

> Flyers are now available for distribution !!!

Am I being a bit dense here, but how would a new school in Kennington affect us in East Dulwich? BTW Mark, I had a look on the website but it did not have any crteria for admissions - will children in ED have any chance of getting into a school so far away?

We need to be realistic and focus on achievable aims for the children of ED ie lobbying Harris to become coed, rather than pinning our hopes on a not-yet-to-be realised free school several miles away.

[Mark Dodds]

Hi prickle.

The admissions code allows schools to either use locality or lottery for entrance.

We are likely to use a combination, because we do not want to have a negative impact on any nearby schools. Lambeth and Southwark each have a shortage of places and we hope the Michaela Community School might be an option for parents instead of sending their children out of borough, sometimes even having to go across the river.

Hope that helps.

[Mark Dodds]

What better on this auspicious day than a reminder for the information evening at The Sun and Doves 6pm next Thursday 5 May for Michaela Community School?

The message from Southwark below came in to SE5 Forum a week or so ago. Not sure I posted it when I got it. Apologies to you all if this is a repeat:

Are you a parent or carer who has recently applied for a Southwark Secondary school place for your child?

Southwark Council are undertaking a review of schools admissions and support for parents and carers. As part of this we would like parents and carers whose children have applied for a Southwark secondary school place to complete a questionnaire.

The council would like to hear about your experiences so we can make suggestions for improvements. We would very much appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill out a questionnaire. Please follow this link: http://bit.ly/gxuNGG to access the survey.

Alternatively a paper copy is attached (I can?t attach it here;MD) with a freepost address to return.

If you have any questions or have more to say then please contact the Scrutiny team on 020 7525 0514 or email Julie.​Timbrell@​southwark.​gov.​uk.

Survey deadline is 13 May 2011.

Julie Timbrell

Project manager

Scrutiny team

0207 525 0514

Julie.​Timbrell@​southwark.​gov.​uk

[Mark Dodds]

Hotting up on the new school front. Some militants attached to some unions and SWP have got hold of it and are mustering ranks to do a big protest outside the Sun and Doves on Thursday evening to try to stop the 'Tory self publicists' from getting toward setting up a school. If highly educated and politicised clowns like these put as much effort into ensuring decent standards spread through existing school provision there wouldn't be any demand for far better access to decent education at secondary level.

Since becoming involved with this I've had conversations with mums and dads from their forties to seventies who recount experiences just like all the people who've been let down by the system this year. If one school that's set up by people from the local community can happen and actually get it right how can that be anything other than a good thing?

[reggie]

Mark

About 10 years ago a local nursery school in East Dulwich stole a large amount of money from myself and many other parents.

Beware!

[reggie]

Mark Dodds Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> No problem westof. WE hoped that our eldest boy

> would get into Kingsdale - along with friends of

> his from different schools in Camberwell... I came

> over all emotional when we visited, I was truly

> impressed by it.

>

> What do people think of Katharine Birbalsingh?

> She's planning a new secondary school in Lambeth,

> I'm not sure where yet but will know tomorrow when

> we meet.

Hmmmmm

[Fuschia]

This thread should be renamed to be about supporting free schools rather than about secondary educAtion per se

Mark, you do yourself no favours with your attitude to those who work in education and are justifiably concerned by the threat of further fragmentation Nd diversion of resources represented by the free schools movement