Petition re Dulwich Hospital site

[Renata Hamvas]

I went to the later consultation meeting on the proposed Harris Nunhead last week. The local residents president were not supportive of a Harris Nunhead school. I have yet to see the evidence that any consultation was done specifically of the opinion of Nunhead parents. The representatives from Harris admitted that there was opposition rather than support so far during this consultation process. having a nodal point in Nunhead for a primary at the hospital site is definitely not a very good idea as it would be a very long walk for parents with young children say eg from Nunhead Station to the Hospital site. There is also no public transport from Nunhead to the Hospital site. In terms of nodal points, this wouldn't have been an issue for the Haberdashers secondary bid. They based their proposal for a potential nodal point on the greatest support/demand for a new secondary school at the hospital site coming from the east of Lordship Lane. Also, secondary pupils tend to go to school independently and at a greater distance than those going at primary. If the school does go ahead and has a nodal point in Nunhead, it is likely that the parents who go there would drive, this is environmental unfriendly and traffic in the area is already bad enough at school run time!

Thanks Landsberger for posting these facts.

Renata

[landsberger]

> I have yet to see the evidence that any consultation was done specifically of the opinion of Nunhead parents

That's because it wasn't, however Harris and the Fib Dems spin it

> The representatives from Harris admitted that there was opposition rather than support so far during this > consultation process.

Probably didn't help that they didn't engage AT ALL with the community, and told huge great porky pies on their website. Which is the usual operating procedure for Harris

> Thanks Landsberger for posting these facts.

K?sz?n?m, Renata.

I wonder when the application to Planning Committee for the East Dulwich Harris Academy comes to pass, whether Harris will be quite as combative as they have been. And whether locals will be supportive of the build of the 4 story building and consequential disruption, traffic issues, and parking on a busy road with a narrow pavement.

http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=14/AP/4580&system=DC

[BrandNewGuy]

From the Family Room discussion section, in case you didn't see it:

"More pupil places for the new school!

Following our discussions with the DfE this week, it has been confirmed that the new school?s intake will be an 8 form entry for each Year. This represents an increase of 60 places per year, meaning that more families will have children who will now be able to benefit from the Charter School East Dulwich experience.

Our bid was based on a 6 Form entry secondary school, however, the DfE recognised the great need for additional secondary school places locally, as well as the high levels of demand shown by parents and supporters over recent months. They believe that the availability of space on the Dulwich Community Hospital site allows for such an increase. The Charter School Educational Trust has therefore been given the opportunity and responsibility to serve even more families in our local community. We now look forward to creating even greater success for parents. As previously communicated, we will be working to open the school with its first intake of Year 7s in September 2016.

One last Push!

With a larger secondary school comes the need for more space. We therefore need to ensure that The Charter School East Dulwich does not have to share the Hospital site with the proposed Harris Nunhead Primary school. The site will have the new medical centre and The Charter School East Dulwich - but it would be an extremely tight (indeed impossible?) squeeze if another primary school was added to the site."

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1442312,page=4

Hmmm, so Charter are cracking on with expanding the school's size as if Harris pulling out is a foregone conclusion? But is it?

[landsberger]

Brandnewguy

There's no chance of Harris opening on the Dulwich Hospital site now. There's no way 2 schools from 2 different sponsor groups could share a site. It isn't big enough for an 8FE secondary and 2FE primary anyway.

[BrandNewGuy]

Maybe, but it was big enough for a 6FE secondary and 2FE primary. James Barber came up with the figures. Undesirable it might have been, but under current guidelines it was possible. I'm just saying that Charter are progressing with expansion as if it's a done deal. I don't think it is yet.

[landsberger]

It was big enough, but Harris have lost interest. They know when they are not wanted. Councillor Barber has his own political axe to grind, and the figures produced were mainly ones produced by the council and interpreted by himself. Most people just want what's best for the area.

It IS a done deal, there will be (subject to planning permission) a Charter School on this site.

[BrandNewGuy]

If you say so, but Harris have not formally withdrawn their interest in the site as far as I know. Yes?

[LondonMix]

I was told yesterday by the DfE that Harris will be withdrawing their application this week.

They told me this as part of trying to convince me to drop my freedom of information request...

[parentsteeringgroup]

This from Harris this morning. Many thanks to all that signed the SPACE Petition.

Subject: Re: Proposed Harris Primary Academy Nunhead ? Consultation Response (Sent on behalf of Sarah Musgrove)

Dear Families and Community Members,

Thank you for responding to the statutory consultation for the proposed Harris Primary Academy Nunhead, which closed on 27 March 2015.

As you know, the school was initially proposed because of the large amount of support expressed by Nunhead parents for the 2014 opening of Harris Primary Academy East Dulwich. This school is now thriving but cannot easily serve Nunhead families from its permanent location on the former East Dulwich Police Station site.

We would have preferred a site in Nunhead for the proposed new school as this is where the core demand for primary places was initially identified. Unfortunately, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) was only able to recommend a location on the East Dulwich Hospital site. This consultation was therefore designed to establish whether there is sufficient demand to open a primary on the Hospital site.

In summary, the majority of comments we have received from families and members of the community show that you are concerned the primary would limit the space available to the secondary school confirmed for the Hospital site. Similarly, whilst the primary proposal has been in development, another primary free school has opened in Nunhead which has reduced the need for primary places in that area.

The EFA has been clear that the primary school would not impact on the secondary?s site at the East Dulwich Hospital. However, we believe that, when combined with its distance from Nunhead and the additional places created there, the consultation has now demonstrated that it would not be appropriate to proceed with the proposal. Subsequently, we have written to the Secretary of State to withdraw the proposal for Harris Primary Academy Nunhead.

We have been clear throughout this process that we take the views of the local communities we serve very seriously, and wanted to provide the opportunity for you to formally express your views.

We would like to thank all of you who have responded to the consultation for your views on this proposal and your continued support for the Harris Federation?s schools locally.

Yours Sincerely

Sarah Musgrove

Director, Estates and Projects

Harris Federation

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Well down everyone , it's a amazing what you can achieve when you pull together as a community and have people on hand like Tessa Jowell to hammer home our views .

[James Barber]

The key will now be to turn this into the new secondary school actually having 19,550m2 of land to build on.

Currently NHS Property have only release 17,000m2 via my Right to Contest which ...I'm now contesting!

[simonethebeaver]

No words of congratulations for the community, including the SPACE campaign, that fought for the site to remain just for a secondary school, James? I've rarely seen such unity on here for something. Well done everyone who made their voices heard over the past few weeks.

[samstopit]

Well done everyone who signed the petition and responded to the consultation. Fabulous news.

[Otta]

I think some respect needs to be shown to Harris for actually listening on this one and backing off. Fair play.

[James Barber]

Hi simonthebeaver,

I commented more here - http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/

I hope it proves to be fabulous news. In about 6 months time Southwark Council will announce it latest pupil projections. I'm still very very nervous about Sotuhwark Council having forecasted a gap of 215-235 primary school places based on a birth rate and with no change to the birth rate or other factors is now forecasting a much lower gap allowing for news schools. I don't get where children have vanished between the two forecasts with no change in any factors.

I have asked to meet the forecasters to really understand the detail that has caused this - I can then agree it's fabulous news.

Hi Otta,

I agree. They said they would. They have. Especially so after putting a lot of unfunded effort into this that they can now never recoup. The good news is we can focus on sorting out the Harris East Dulwich Primary School planning permission - stalled for a great many months with Southwark planning.

[landsberger]

News story on the Southwark news website, including quotes from the great and good

http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/harris-federation-withdraws-school-plans-for-dulwich-hospital/

Controversial plans to build a primary school next to a secondary school and a health clinic have been scrapped in the face of public opposition.

The Harris Federation got the green light from the government to open a new primary free school for Nunhead, but say they were advised by the Education Funding Authority (EFA) that the only available site was on the grounds of Dulwich Community Hospital.

Local residents won a hard-fought campaign to get a secondary school on the site last month but concern mounted that the new Charter School for 1,220 kids would be overcrowded if a primary was squeezed on the same land.

Following a round of public consultation, the Harris Federation has confirmed this week that they have withdrawn their application because the site is too far from Nunhead, another primary school opening in the area has reduced the need and ?community?s concerns regarding the impact on the secondary school confirmed for the hospital site.?

A Harris spokesperson said: ?While the EFA assured us that the primary would not impact on the secondary school, we believe that consultation shows that it would not now be appropriate to proceed with the proposal and have communicated this to the Secretary of State. We would like to thank everyone who responded to the consultation for their views and for their support of our schools locally.?

Liberal Democrat councillor for East Dulwich ward, James Barber, who was instrumental in both school campaigns, said he supported Harris?s decision to withdraw the application.

?No one wants a school that no one wants to go to,? he said. ?I?m delighted that the campaigning we initiated in 2013 has successfully led to a new secondary school being approved. We wholeheartedly support it and huge thanks to all those who supported us when the council was against any new secondary school for East Dulwich.?

Former MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, Tessa Jowell, said: ?This is excellent news for parents in East Dulwich and the result of many months of hard work with the help of both secondary school campaigns. I?m delighted that Harris have listened to the local community and understand its priorities. We can now move full steam ahead with what?s needed on the site ? a brancd new secondary school and multi-purpose health centre.?

Cllr Peter John, Leader of Southwark Council, said, ?We?ve worked hard to deliver a secondary school on the Dulwich Hospital site, and are pleased to be moving forward with the Charter Educational Trust to make this a reality by September 2016.?

?The local community very strongly told us that they wanted a secondary school on the Dulwich site, with the space to provide a full and rich curriculum. We shared their concern that a primary school in that location would limit the space available for the secondary school.?

?The areas around the proposed new Harris school are already well served by existing schools such as the Belham Primary School, which is in the immediate vicinity of the Dulwich Hospital site. We do however have a growing need for places in the north of the borough, which is why we are investing in a programme of primary school expansions that will succeed in providing primary school places to satisfy both demand and parental choice from 2016.?

?We will be pleased to work with Academy Trusts on future projects where a need for additional school places has been identified.?

[landsberger]

> In about 6 months time Southwark Council will announce it latest pupil projections

The GLA do these for the Council - they should be ready for public inspection in July 2015, so sooner than you think.

> I'm still very very nervous about Sotuhwark Council having forecasted a gap of 215-235 primary school places based on a birth rate and with no change to the birth rate or other factors is now forecasting a much lower gap allowing for news schools

Sotuhwark ? You don't know if they were produced on the same basis or took the same factors into consideration. The GLA constantly update their population projections with new base data deriving from births and deaths, as well as migration data from a variety of sources, all of which drive the school projections. If birth rates have suddenly increased, or a development has been ruled in (or out), or if the mix of a large development has changed, or if the fertility of the local population (or for that matter, the mortality) have changed, this will affect the population projections and by that token, the school projections. When did they forecast a "a gap of 215-235 primary school places" ? Was that just for East Dulwich or the borough as a whole?

>I don't get where children have vanished between the two forecasts with no change in any factors.

There's a number of factors above, which have changed. Projections previously may have included in there schools that have not come to fruition or have not filled to capacity.

>I have asked to meet the forecasters to really understand the detail that has caused this - I can then agree it's fabulous news.

The GLA or Southwark ones ?

>we can focus on sorting out the Harris East Dulwich Primary School planning permission - stalled for a great many months with Southwark planning.

Maybe because the proposed location is completely unsuitable for a primary school ?

[James Barber]

Hi landsberger,

Yes, and Southwark Council interpret the GLA forecasts. I'm keen to meet with the Southwark people who interpret GLA forecasts. We#ve seen no change in birth rate, rate of people leaving the area, etc but a big reduction inthe forecast pupil numbers.

Where would you build the permanent Harris East Dulwich Primary school if not the former East Dulwich Police station?

[landsberger]

The Harris East Dulwich Primary ? I wouldn't build it at all, James, there's no real need for it. I would disperse the pupils to other schools. It's already undersubscribed and there's a substantial turnover of staff, and, so I hear from my spies at the school, fairly low numbers of applicants this year. It's a complete and utter waste of money, a vanity project, in a completely unsuitable location, in an area of low demand, given the expansions elsewhere (like Ivydale, for instance).

How do you actually know there has been "...no change in birth rate, rate of people leaving the area, etc" ? How do you know upon what basis the projections were actually produced on ? I gave a number of possible reasons for variations in projections above, all of which you seem to have ignored.

It couldn't of course you as a (Lib Dem) councillor were seeking to have a pop at a (Labour controlled) council could it? It couldn't be that your education spokesman Councillor Okoye was trying to make political hay last week about the secondary allocations, could it ?

Edit

Just had a look at the birth rate for the last complete years of projections - does this suggest a "shortage of places" to you, James ? These are actual figures, not projections.

Year Borough Births in Calender year

2009 Southwark 5025

2010 Southwark 4873

2011 Southwark 5202

2012 Southwark 5035

2013 Southwark 4907

2014 Southwark 4706

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I had noticed the turnover of staff at Harris Dulwich despite only opening in September and its not full to capacity either .