New Charter School on Dulwich Hospital Site

[littlek1cker]

***Public Meeting - Thursday 19th June***

The Charter School Educational Trust will be holding an open meeting where we will set out our thinking about the proposed Charter School East Dulwich and would like to get feedback from the local community. The meeting will take place at 7pm on Thursday 19th June at the United Reform Church, East Dulwich Grove (corner of Melbourne Grove) East Dulwich SE22 8RH. The topics for discussion will include the admissions policy and the educational vision. The intention is for the proposed new school to build on the strengths of the existing Charter school but to add some complementary features so that both schools benefit from their proximity to each other and the potential for collaboration. We have been working hard on all aspects of the new school but are also keen that it reflects the needs and preferences of the local community.

If you have children in Year 4 or below, or are just interested to learn more, please do come along and contribute.

[littlek1cker]

Hello everyone,

My name is Simon Tucker and I am one of the local parents working with The Charter School on their proposal for a new school on the Dulwich Hospital site.

I am posting now in order to give EDF readers another point of contact with the team working up the The Charter School?s proposal so you can ask any questions you may have.

Just to restate the facts for anyone coming to this fresh; there are two schools currently preparing proposals for a new secondary school on part of the Dulwich Hospital site. Both schools have a lot of support from local parents and personally I think that a new school run by either Habs or Charter would be wonderful news for local parents. The decision as to whether we will get a Charter or Habs school on this site will be made by the Department for Education towards the end of the year. The availability of the site is still not certain but we are very hopeful.

We are currently consulting widely with the community as we put our proposal together. We are planning a public consultation event on 19th June ? more details soon - as well as other things in the pipeline.

If you would like to show your support for a Charter school, please e-mail [email protected] with your name, your post code, your child/children?s date(s) of birth and please state that you would be likely to put a Charter School on this site as your first choice for your child when applying for secondary school. All parents who want a new school should be signing up to BOTH the Charter proposal AND the Habs proposal since if we can?t demonstrate enough demand for a new school, neither bid will be successful.

If you have any questions about our plans you can ask me on this forum or send a message to the above e-mail address or attend one of the events we are organising in the coming weeks.

Regards,

Simon

Simon Tucker

The Charter School East Dulwich Working Group

[James Barber]

Hi Simon,

I agree with most of what you've written.

But how can people sign up to both campaigns stating they would make each school their first choice when applying for a secondary school place?

[littlek1cker]

James,

If you sign up to both school's bids you are effectively saying that if either Habs or Charter open a new school on this site it would likely be your first choice. There is no scenario in which both schools open on the site so parents will never have to state a preference for one over the other.

[clux]

But what if we would like to state a preference??

[littlek1cker]

clux Wrote:

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

> But what if we would like to state a preference??

Well, just sign up to one then. Basically, we are all working within an suboptimal process for deciding whether and where a new school will be allowed to open. The DfE process just considers individual applications. I suppose ideally, local people might be canvassed on whether or not they think a new secondary school is needed (question 1) and if so, who the best provider would be (question 2). DfE doesn't do this. In some parts of the country I believe local authorities have taken it upon themselves to run this kind of process but Southwark has decided not to do this.

[James Barber]

Hi clux,

Both proposed schools would be state funded schools.

Hi little1cker,

But if the DfE recevies two applicatinos to open a new free school on the same site at the same time the obvious temptation would be to de duplicate supporter lists. That could mean either or both applciations if supporters have signed up for both campaigns not having sufficient registered support to proceed.

So I would encourage people to sign-up for one campaign and give that campaign their full support.

[littlek1cker]

Hi James,

A parent who signs up to support both applications is clearly voting for a new school. It would be perverse to not count their signature for either school. I have been in over a dozen new school application interviews with DfE officials and I have never seen them take that approach. If a parent has a very strong preference for one school over another then perhaps they should just sign up to one campaign but I would think carefully about that because I think there is an important role for DfE officials to cast an expert eye over the quality of the bids. I have several times encountered outstanding education providers submitting poor applications. This can happen for lots of reasons. Sometimes a provider over stretches themselves or sometimes the application just isn't their top priority. As a community we should be coming together to make a clear statement that a new school is needed.

[littlek1cker]

Tessa Jowell's reply to Michael Gove regarding the site:

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

[LondonMix]

This is rediculous. The entire system is supposed to be about parental choice, not trying to duplicate support for two applications and have the DofE decide.

Parents should choose whichever school is actually their preference- period.

There is no risk that there isn't enough support for a school as enough support has already been registered for Habs to be successful once the DofE reviews the application to ensure its inline with broader national policy even if it reflects local desires.

If you want Charter as your first choice then support it and if it proves more popular than Habs amongst parents I am sure the DofE will consider that when deciding. However, supporting both applications makes no sense.

[clux]

I completely agree with LondonMix. As I stated further up the thread I DO want to state a preference. I DO NOT want to support both, stating that each one is my first choice! What a ridiculous situation.

[Otta]

Agreed!

Plus the cynic in me suspects that littlek1cker won't be so quick to urge Charter supporters to support both behind closed doors. It's a smart move, tell the opposition to support both whilst you stick to your own.

Of course that could be a nonsense, but given recent activity it wouldn't come as a shock.

[littlek1cker]

Yes Otta, your accusation is a load of nonsense.

The Charter School East Dulwich working group approached the Haberdashers steering group a few weeks ago with a list of ways in which we would like to cooperate. The intention was to get away from the needlessly divisive arguments we've seen on this forum and elsewhere. This list of proposals specifically included joint information material with the sign up details for both campaigns. The point was to make a common stand for a new school. Unfortunately we're still waiting to hear back from the Habs steering group. In fact many people who signed up to the Charter bid HAVE also signed the Habs bid. They signed up before Habs was announced as the chosen provider and on the basis of several reassurances on this thread that they were only signing up to support a new school, not any particular provider.

[Otta]

It was meant to be light hearted. But I still agree with those posters that suggest supporting two separate bids seems very silly.

The fact that there are 2 bids each supported by a number of people will show that there is a lot of support for a secondary school.

[LondonMix]

It?s not just silly, it?s the exact opposite of what is supposed to happen. The DofE isn?t supposed to pick schools. The free school system is about parents picking a school.

The DofE has more of an oversight role to ensure the school selected by the community will adhere to the national admission code and national curriculum even if there are unique offerings specific to local interests. The DofE also ensures the school is putting in place management and governance structures that will allow it to be successfully run.

The idea that the only way to prevent some of the appalling behavior exhibited to date is to effectively neutralize parental choice is quite a sad statement.

The schools should simply put together their individual proposals, consult with the community and then let parents decide which proposal is more appealing.

[Soulking]

Thanks Littlek1cker/Simon - just sent an email giving my support.

btw - I think people are just trying to do (what they think is) the right thing. Being accussed of stuff, and called ridiculous, seems out of order to me.

[LondonMix]

The argument is silly not the person. The argument goes against the aims of the policy. The fact they think its necessary to stop infighting is just sad

[largeginandtonic]

Isn't the point of signing up to both that you are saying that, if there is a habs school on that site, it would be my first choice AND if there was a Charter school on that site, it would be my first choice. In other words - I want a school on that site and it would be my first choice school if it was either Habs or Charter.

Obviously if a Charter (or Habs) school on that site really wouldn't be your first choice and you would, for example, rather choose Harris Boys/Girls instead of a Charter (or Habs) on that site, then don't sign both. But if our primary concern is to get a school opened on that site, surely we should sign both? Especially as it looks increasingly like the real war here is getting the site?

Stating a preference would be all well and good if we knew for certain we were getting the school.

[sillywoman]

largeginandtonic Wrote:

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

> Isn't the point of signing up to both that you are

> saying that, if there is a habs school on that

> site, it would be my first choice AND if there was

> a Charter school on that site, it would be my

> first choice. In other words - I want a school on

> that site and it would be my first choice school

> if it was either Habs or Charter.

>

> Obviously if a Charter (or Habs) school on that

> site really wouldn't be your first choice and you

> would, for example, rather choose Harris

> Boys/Girls instead of a Charter (or Habs) on that

> site, then don't sign both. But if our primary

> concern is to get a school opened on that site,

> surely we should sign both? Especially as it looks

> increasingly like the real war here is getting the

> site?

>

> Stating a preference would be all well and good if

> we knew for certain we were getting the school.

This sums up my view too. Thanks largeginandtonic.

[littlek1cker]

We are really pleased that the Charter East Dulwich bid has been selected for support by independent charity the New Schools Network. Along with pro-bono project management support from PWC we now have the New Schools Network's help in finalising our application which will be submitted to DfE in the Autumn. Press release attached for anyone who is interested. We will also be working hard right up until submission to engage with the local community and to gather lots of expressions of support from parents. If anybody is able to get involved in helping then please do get in touch.

[louloulabelle]

Im all for more schools in the area to alleviate the nightmare each year of parents not getting local schools for their children. My three are a few years off needing secondary school yet but I'm already aware that if we don't get more schools built or extended then we will yet again face a bun fight to get them in anywhere so I have emailed my support for The Charter Schools proposal.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I agree with G&T as that was my thoughts too .

Hopefully Charter will be successful .

[damzel]

I would like to support both as it is too soon for me to be worrying about secondary school choices but soon enough to realise that we are in dire need of secondary around here. Is there a link to support Habs?

[bonaome]

I agree with largeG&T and sillywoman. I have already filled in the forms supporting both - filled in the Habs form before I knew about the Charter bid (and I'm probably not the only one). I'd prefer a Charter school as that to me makes most sense. If we were to end up with Habs there instead then that would be my first choice.

[Coach Beth]

I agree with the thinking about supporting both bids. I think it is important to join forces and as a community state unequivocally that we need a secondary school on the site NOT another primary school. I personally would prefer Habs but would go with Charter if it ended up being the provider. I think that there is a danger of 'divide and rule' at this stage - and we risk losing the site and the opportunity.