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Another proud achievement from my time in public office.

The idea for this new secondary school was a campaign led by yours truly - after we'd solved the local primary school shortage.

The land - after 25 years of NHS dithering - was only allocated after I made the first ever successful Right to Challenge how a public body , in this case the NHS, were not properly using public land. Special thanks to Caroline Pidgeon our local GLA Assembly Member and Nick Clegg the then Deputy Prime Minster who moved and shaked to help pull this together and Sir Francis Maude a Tory MP who at the time was the Cabinet Office Minister who took the decision making it possible to have our Charter East Dulwich or any school on the site.

Great news... it looked to me like there was still a fair amount to do when I went past the other day.


Crikey James, you'd think you would have been canonised for such service to humanity, not voted out... never mind, at least you're still incredibly pleased with yourself.

It's going to be great... so looking forward to my son going there after two and half years on the temporary site! Teachers and staff will be packing up and moving stuff over while the kids enjoy a massive long xmas break (they finish on the 14th December and go back to the new school on the 10th Jan)


The main school building is ready as is the gym. However, there will still be building work on site for the next phrase of development which is the sixth form centre. And buiding work on the new health centre which is directly in front of school will be going on for a few years!

Apologies. Fat finger. Mistake now corrected. Just wondering about those of us who live in a secondary school black hole. I?m on Dunstans Road. Too far from Sydenham School nowadays and not sure we?ll get into Harris Girls ED due to the complicated admission process. Would like a co-ed in any event if possible. I honestly am delighted about Charter ED and think it?s a great addition to the area but it doesn?t solve my problem.

Hi Monkey,

Most of Dunstans Road is 1,300m from the new schools entrance. You are likely to get a place. Especially as it's settling down and some don't feel comfortable selecting it. They also have 180 places each year.

Charter North Dulwich furthest distance place was 857m an established Outstanding school.

Hi Monkey, according to a friend loads of girls from Goodrich school got a place at Sydenham Girls this year. So don't assume you won't ... I would have thought on Dunstans Road it would be pretty certain? But of course disappointing if you wanted a co-ed school.


Charter ED all very well but it is annoyingly close to the other Charter and doesn't really help children around the Nunhead/Peckham Rye/Forest Hill Road/Upland/Dunstans/Overhill/Underhill Roads areas.

I have also seen that Harris Girls are proposing now to change their admissions back to a distance only policy from it's previous admissions - it's gained in popularity with local parents and it's a very good school - really inspiring headteacher I've heard. Also Deptford Green is becoming more popular and is co-ed but a bit further away of course.

Thank you for your replies.


I had missed the good news about the consultation at Harris Girls ED, which came out last week. Here it is: https://www.harrisdulwichgirls.org.uk/4/latest-news/post/542/_fn_


I agree that Carrie Senior, the head, is great. Fabulous teaching team too and a really good progress 8 score.


As for Charter ED, we are 1.5 km away...


We should be ok for Sydenham School but the distance criteria is shrinking every year. I think we would have been on waiting list this year.

Monkey Wrote:

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


>

> As for Charter ED, we are 1.5 km away...

>

> We should be ok for Sydenham School


Yes - many people in ED in this situation. LL end of Friern Road for example - still have to ship our kids off to Sydenham whilst northern ED and Herne Hill fell into the catchment for both Charters - hooray for them - a choice of Charters for some of ED and still none for others


Sorry James, but i think this was a disasterous allocation of additional school places. What was promoted as an additional school for ED was in fact an additioanal school for those in ED who already had one.

And yes i did attend the hustings and say eactly this at the time.


Don't get me started. :)

Mick Mac Wrote:

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

> What was promoted as an additional school for ED was in

> fact an additioanal school for those in ED who

> already had one.


Not really... there is quite a large area of ED (and Peckham Rye and Camberwell), who weren't close enough to North Dulwich Charter, who will be served by the new school.

fishbiscuits Wrote:

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

> Mick Mac Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > What was promoted as an additional school for ED

> was in

> > fact an additioanal school for those in ED who

> > already had one.

>

> Not really... there is quite a large area of ED

> (and Peckham Rye and Camberwell), who weren't

> close enough to North Dulwich Charter, who will be

> served by the new school.


And would you be able to tell me what proportion of the new "ED Charter" catchment area was not either


1) ED but already in Charter 1 catchment

2) Peckham Rye

3) Camberwell

4) Herne Hill



It certainly wasn't a school that PRIMARILY benefitted those in ED who had no Charter option beforehand.


EG: Where I live in ED, I have no secondary school availability within 1km of our home and those that are available are not in ED - the new ED Charter wasn't going to change that.


But its not a perfect world. Even i can understand that.

Loads of kids in Derwent,Elsie,Melbourne ,East Dulwich Grove and Grove Vale all go to Charter ED,as Charter North is now full of kids from dulwich village.Just because it's called Charter East Dulwich does not mean you have to live in East Dulwich to get.Both schools are oversubscribed,so if the noddle point had been moved over Peckham Rye way loads of kids from Dog Kennel hill would not have got in.

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