Haberdashers' East Dulwich - 751 families supporting

[intexasatthe moment]

" whether I would choose Charter 2 over Charter 1 " - aah ,yes I see your point . What a strange way to construct ...whatever it is . A survey ? Questionnaire ?

But then such things are always constructed in such a way as to produce a desired result aren't they ? Wonder what the desired result was here ?

[JFB]

To compare Charter to Hatcham

https://www.jtb-education.co.uk/swarm.phpv

type in the school name

Charter gets better GCSE results with a lower Key Stage 2 intake!

[samstopit]

In case anyone following this thread hasn't seen it yet, there is a petition circulating asking David Laws not to squeeze a primary school onto the Dulwich Hospital site.

Whether you support Charter or Habs or just want a secondary school, please do sign this so that we get a secondary school with decent outside space.

http://www.change.org/p/david-laws-mp-don-t-squeeze-two-schools-onto-the-dulwich-hospital-site

[DuncanW]

Thanks for highlighting - have signed!

[LondonMix]

Great!

[parentsteeringgroup]

Hi everyone

Great news - our applicant, the Haberdashers Federation, submitted their bid to the Department for Education on Friday. They are in the 'wave 8' group of applications and are expected to be called in for interview with DfE in November. The final decision is likely to be made in Jan / Feb 2015.

Thanks to everyone who came to the drop-in event on 25th September and to everyone who responded to the consultation. We had 200 consultation responses which is a really fantastic level of feedback.

You are all no doubt aware that the Dulwich Hospital site is the only suitable location for the proposed secondary school. Now that the bid has gone in it's important to keep the pressure up to make sure the site is protected for a secondary school and a health centre. Please email your MP if you haven't already. And please add your name to the petition started by SPACESouthwark which asks David Laws MP, Minister of State for Free Schools, not to put a primary school on the site.

https://www.change.org/p/david-laws-mp-don-t-squeeze-two-schools-onto-the-dulwich-hospital-site

Have a lovely weekend!

[LondonMix]

Has the petition been sent to all 751 supporters of the school bid?

Do you know if the Charter has emailed their mailing list as well?

Thanks for all the hard work parents group!

[kristymac1]

LondonMix Wrote:

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

> Thanks for all the hard work parents group!

Yes, many thanks to all on the steering group - i know there has been an awful lot of work involved and hope you know there are lots of us who are very appreciative! x

[James Barber]

A year ago I submitted a Right to Contest the spare land at thE Dulwich Hospital site. This right was created by Lib Dems in the coalition government.

Please see the letter from the Rt Hon Francis Maude MP - Minister for the Cabinet Office - NMP625917

I'm delighted at last to report that as a direct result of my request the spare land has now been added to the Register of Surplus Public Land. This is a key pre requisite for any new use such as new schools.

NHS property have held back 11,300m3 of the 28,300m2 for the new health centre. So I will check whether more than the 17,000m2 can be released at this point. In public meeting they've said they'll only need 7,000-9,000m2 for the new health centre. I suspect they're being ultra cautious.

Patience is a virtue I have little of but I'm delighted that all the chasing by myself and Lib Dem colleagues at all levels of local, regional and national government and the support of the Cabinet Office has been successful.

This prepares the ground for the Educational Finance Agency to tell us its decision of whether they've selected either The Charter School or Habdashers' Aske's Federation to open a new secondary school for us and have a site to house it in.

AS you can imagine I'm rather chuffed.

[simonethebeaver]

The possibility that there will be even less space for the school than previously thought makes it important to keep up pressure on the DfE and EFA not to put a primary school on the site too. Please sign the petition if you haven't already and it matters to you.

https://www.change.org/p/david-laws-mp-don-t-squeeze-two-schools-onto-the-dulwich-hospital-site

I am very glad that James seems to have abandoned his support for placing the primary on the site though.

[James Barber]

Hi simonthebeaver,

I still think we need more primary school places.

But if the space available has been reduced to 17,000m2 then I'm unclear how a seperate Harris primary school could go there.

I'm still extremely concerned that the spare land will be sold at such a price that it wont all be bought for a new secondary school. BUT today's news makes me less fearful of this.

I've also been told by a government contractor that we still have a long way to go.

[Sol]

Any updates on this? Is this ever going to happen?

[samstopit]

Both Haberdashers and Charter have had their interviews with the DfE. Whichever bid is successful the new secondary school should open by September 2016, although the hospital site won't be ready until 2018 so it will in be temporary accommodation until then.

Looking likely that an announcement is imminent.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/06/david-cameron-will-pledge-to-open-153-new-free-schools

[Sol]

Great! Thank you for the update. Hope NHS agree to sell the land though.

[James Barber]

Hi Sol,

Feb 2014 I submitted a Right to Contest surplus land at Dulwich Hospital.

Last month 17,000m2 weas released - as this was the first successful Right to Contest it was even featured in a speach by Rt.Hon Francis Maude MP.

So 17,000m2 of the 28,300m2 site had been placed on a register of surplus public land. Other public bodies then buy it - such as for our new secondary free school.

BUT the local NHS have stated they 'only' need 7,000-9,000m2 for the new health centre. So their is still another 2,300-4,300m2 to paly with.

My hunch is The Charter School East Dulwich would work well in 17,000m2 of land - this is more land than the current school has. It's then a debate what will happen to the 2,300-4,300m2 primary school or housing. My ideal would be the secondary school. But I doubt the EFA willout the zoning I've banged on about for well over a year will be able to afford all 17,000m2 for the new secondary school.

The

[Bumpkin]

Hi James

Out of interest, do you know how big the Harris Boys ED site is for comparison? Is there anything that prospective parents can do at this stage to lobby for more land being released for the new school?

thanks for all your help on this, I'm very excited that this could be opening so soon.

[James Barber]

Sure Bumpkin. Harris Boys ED site is roughly 4,500m2.

Sign the change.org petition would be a very good start and promote it to friends and family.

[mrs.lotte]

Bumpkin

te

I agree that you should sign the petition but also respond to the Harris primary consultation which you will find on Harris' website - they will publish the responses to consultation and say they will listen to people's views. If those views are that people do not want to compromise space for a secondary then they will (hopefully) abandon any notion of using the site and a clear message will be sent out to those responsible for allocating space to a secondary

[samstopit]

Petition link here:

https://www.change.org/p/david-laws-mp-don-t-squeeze-two-schools-onto-the-dulwich-hospital-site