Heather du Quensay's legacy
In the late '90s, primary schools were
sold the idea that their undersubscribed and of course costly schools would be
closed to be replaced by 'state of the art' new schools fit for the 21st
Century.
It hasn't yet all happened - the proposed
re-build of Crown Lane is at the architects stage, having temporarily moved to
the closed Norwood Park Primary site.
Jubilee and Kings' Avenue have both
opened with varying problems, but there is the problem we warned about - no
school places.
Even though Jubilee amalgamated Brockwell
Primary, Effra Primary and Grove House, there is a part of Brixton around the
old Effra site where parents cannot find a school. Jubilee, you see is full
up.
The council, far from being concerned
about educational needs in the area, is looking at property redevelopment. This
went to the Council on 26.2.03. Parents in numbers are quite rightly
objecting.
The parental objection has now developed
into a campaign for the very reason that there are students without schools in
the very area where Effra school was closed. The campaign is now afoot to
re-open Effra School, or to build a school in the immediate area.
Although scrutiny committee, after a
'call back' voted to go ahead with the planned sale, the parents' campaign has
succeeded in halting development by a high court injuction. For more details of
that, and the campaign, click here
The shortsightedness of the council is
beyond belief. Exactly the same problem happened when Dick Sheppard closed and
the site was handed over to property devlopers. The housing built was not
affordable for the locals. Then it becam apparent taht there was a shortage of
secondary places in the area.
Exactly the same is happening at the
primary phase with Effra. In addition, Effra Nursery which was not closed as
part of the amalgamation that became Jubilee is threatened with a move to an
unknown location because it has the mis-fortune to sit on the Effra site.
It is the ham-fisted bungling that leads
to failure. Effra Nursery is deemed to be a successful school, but when there
is uncertainty parents vote with their feet and take their children
elsewhere. |
