Harris Free School Primary on Hospital Site

[buggie]

Otta Wrote:

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

> What is currently on the site of the old Waverly

> lower school (bottom of Friern Road)? Haven't been

> down that way for ages, and street view doesn't

> show me much.

Think that's the Harris Boys school, then across the Rye n Homestall Rd is Harris Girls.

[James Barber]

The nunhead area according to SOuthwark Council reports will have have a shortage of 75-90 places on top of the existing shortage.

Hence why the Harris Nunhead was applied for to provide 60 of those missing places.

Ivydale is now also being doubled in size from 60 pupils to 120 pupils per year.

The two together will ensure Nunhead and Peckham Rye families have great local primary school places.

I fear a personal dislike by some politicians and residents of the Harris Federation is blinding themto this maths.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

It's not a personal dislike , it's the fact Harris is taking over Southwark . We don't need more Harris Schools in Dulwich.

[Otta]

I think people's issue is simply that these families in Peckham and Nunhead need a school in Peckham or Nunhead, not in East Dulwich (getting on for North Dulwich).

Sorry but it just seems like a rubbish plan.

I'm not anti Harris at all, they've taken over schools like Warwick Park and Waverly and made them work, and I was very impressed with the Harris school near me that we're thinking about moving our daughter to.

[Otta]

But that being said, it would be nice to see sone other providers in the mix.

And RE politicians, I think mostnofnus realise you're a necessary evil ;-)

[TE44]

James "The nunhead area according to Southwark council reports there will be a shortage of 75-90 places on

top of the existing shortage"

James, are you saying Renata has somehow got the wrong info regarding Nunhead schools being under subscribed,

Is the figures you gave above soley for the Nunhead area.

I fear when conflicting views regarding facts are put up by politicians,

Instead of answers we get innuendos.

[Belle]

For those following the Tessa Jowell/Michael Gove correspondence on this, here is TJ's response to Gove's letter:

http://www.tessajowell.net/uploads/f00a48ee-7141-f7f4-994c-6433c2027fb9.pdf

[James Barber]

That's useful Belle.

Surprised Tessa has miss spelled Michael as Michail and crossed out the Sincerely in Yours Sincerely.

Not a great start to extracting something from the man.

The key to this is Harris would like to build the permanent Harris Nunhead at thier Harris East Dulwich Girls Academy. The key to this is Southwark COuncil as a planning authority. If Harris can do this then they clearly wont be on the hopsital site. The Education Finance Agency (EFA) would be delighted to make this change as it would not require any land purchase. I would hope more could be extracted via the planning process and S106 from the EFA as a consequence for the local area.

[intexasatthe moment]

James - there is some doubt about whether there is space on the Harris ED Girls site for a permanent primary school .

Where will it be situated ? I guessed that it might go where the swimming pool used to be and you indicated it would . But do you know for sure that there is space and where it will go ?

[littlek1cker]

James and Renata,

It isn't helpful that you seem to be contradicting each other on this. We are in communication with the Harris Federation and hopefully will be able to clarify this soon.

Simon

Simon Tucker

The Charter School East Dulwich Working Group

[bawdy-nan]

Hopefully, this should help too:

http://www.tessajowell.net/uploads/f00a48ee-7141-f7f4-994c-6433c2027fb9.pdf

[DuncanW]

James,

Tessa Jowell's letter seems to be wholly supportive of your position, yet your main comment is to pick her up on an apparent spelling mistake. Could you not find anything more positive to say in response to that?

Duncan

ETA oh by the way, you mis spelled mis spelling - is that deliberate irony?

"Tessa has miss spelled Michael as Michail and crossed out the Sincerely in Yours Sincerely.

Not a great start to extracting something from the man. "

[Otta]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> That's useful Belle.

> Surprised Tessa has miss spelled Michael as

> Michail and crossed out the Sincerely in Yours

> Sincerely.

> Not a great start to extracting something from the

> man.

No idea why she's gotten Michael wrong, but it could be that she's crossed out the sincerely so that it just reads

Yours,

Tessa

Which is a friendlier sign off.

[Jessie]

I don't think she has - her e in dear is the same in Michael, and the dot is for the i in the first part of Michael. And if we're being picky, it's not miss spelled, its misspelled.

Anyway. She was very supportive indeed during the initial primary shortage back in 2009, so I'm very happy to read this letter.

[Renata Hamvas]

Two schools in the Nunhead Area, St Mary Magdelene and Hollydale (in the heart of Nunhead) were both undersubscribed this year, as was Turnham, just over the border in Lewisham. Where there has been an increase in demand for school places is in the South Nunhead area (Peckham Rye Ward rather than Nunhead Ward), this will be addressed by the Ivydale expansion, the Stuart Road site is in an area where places are needed.

In terms of what I am stating about the Harris Girls' site (no free space), it is what Jane Fletcher the Head said to me when I visited the school.There may be a way to put a primary there, eg massive rebuilding program, reducing pupil numbers of the secondary by a form, or using all their outside space. They are however a Sports Academy so removing areas used for sport would be detrimental to the needs of the school. Looking at their planning application it doesn't seem easy to accommodate the temporary classrooms for reception and then reception/year 1 of Harris Free School ED . From their planning application it looks like the temporary accommodation will be occupied for 2015/16 by Harris Free School ED, this indicates it would be difficult for them to have another primary taking pupils on to this site, even temporarily from 2015. It is of my personal opinion if there had been free space on the Harris Girls' Schools Site, this would have been the easiest option for the Harris Federation and Harris Free School ED would be opening there this September, particularly as this is the route they took with Harris Academy@Peckham.

If you have any doubts about what I have written in my previous and this post please read the Cabinet Report, I put a link to in my previous post. Pupil Planning is not an exact science, but it does give a good indication what is expected in terms of pupil numbers for different parts of the Borough.

Renata

[Renata Hamvas]

James,

Tessa has not misspelt Michael, her dot from the 'i' has floated and the 'e' is flat, you are looking for something when nothing is there. After being so vocal about a secondary school for the East Dulwich area you ought to be delighted about Tessa's stand. As you well know, yours has not been the only party striving to provide extra secondary school places over the last year, some of us have just been a bit quieter and more subtle in our approach. A bit of respect and decorum would be more in order here, not ridiculous comments simply because your local MP is a Labour MP.

Renata

[Rolo Tomasi]

Renata Hamvas Wrote:

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

> James,

> Tessa has not misspelt Michael, her dot from the

> 'i' has floated and the 'e' is flat, you are

> looking for something when nothing is there. After

> being so vocal about a secondary school for the

> East Dulwich area you ought to be delighted about

> Tessa's stand. As you well know, yours has not

> been the only party striving to provide extra

> secondary school places over the last year, some

> of us have just been a bit quieter and more subtle

> in our approach. A bit of respect and decorum

> would be more in order here, not ridiculous

> comments simply because your local MP is a Labour

> MP.

>

> Renata

Agree!

[Jessie]

Me too

[Otta]

Indeed, well said.

I have quite big respect for James because he sticks his head above the parapet and gets involved for his community.

But he can't resist a bit of party politics, and is selective at times over questions he answers / points he acknowledges.

[Otta]

Although you have to admit, that dot has floated pretty bloody far, and it does look like Michail. But it's a nothing point.

[Rolo Tomasi]

Otta Wrote:

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

> But he can't resist a bit of party politics, and

> is selective at times over questions he answers /

> points he acknowledges.

I know and it's very tiresome.

[intexasatthe moment]

Renata I agree with all you've said and I'm sorry to be thick and ask for more info but ....going back to available space at ED harris girls for a permanent primary ....I can see it would be tough to accomodate a temporary primary as they're doing ( in housing the ED Harris primary school which will in time move to site of police station ) plus accomodating a new permanent Nunhead primary .

But I'm thinking if they could house a temp .primary then once that had gone they'd have space for a new permanent one . r doesn't it work like that ? Perhaps they could cope with sharing outside ,hall etc space for a short period but not on a permanent basis ?

If I read JB's posts correctly ,he's implying that there is space for a permanent primary at ED harris Girls and that it's just that Southwark won't/are delaying giving planning permission . But if the current head doesn't think there's space then I'm thinking there isn't space .

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Intexas,

Harris have applied for planning permission for the temporary classrooms (portacabins). They have applied assuming that it will be 2016 when Harris ED move to the Police Station site, so temporary classrooms to accommodate 2 reception classes in 2014/15 and four in 2015/16 (reception and year 1). They have not applied for planning permission to put a primary school on the Harris Girl's site.

Here is the link to the planning application

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=9554814

Renata

edited to add link

[intexasatthe moment]

Thanks Renata . And thanks for the link ,will take a look .

[intexasatthe moment]

Mmmm ,I see very little space for a full primary school - http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/DocsOnline/Documents/364051_1.pdf

unless they lost a good bit of what little open space remains .

And having looked at the earlier planning application

http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=9527258 when the school was being revamped to become an academy I see that the site is Metropolitan Open Land and that special pleading had to be made to justify the expansion of buildings .

But who knows ,perhaps Harris are influential enough to pull it off .

So it really does look unlikely that it would be possible to accomodate a new primary school on this site and that it's not a just a simple matter of Southwark Planning pulling their finger out and granting permission .