Lambeth Teacher with Lambeth NUT

New Clapham School Runs into opposition

From Grainne Monks— former LTA Secretary

Lambeth is suffering a shortage of Secondary places and a new school is to be opened in Clapham. This school is being sponsored by a church association.

While it has been accepted that the school will be co-educational and would have the same admissions policy as a county school, they want the headteacher and head of religious education to be practising Christians. Happily there is resistance growing among councillors and the community to this policy. Meanwhile a voluntary controlled school in Lambeth is seeking to become a voluntary school again.

We are rather puzzled as to why this has become important and generally rather worried about trends that appear to empower the church in education. Many faiths are represented in Lambeth and we cannot believe that reinforcing the hegemony of the established church.

Why is there a problem?

In negotiations with the employer, it was apparent to us that the running of schools has less to do with education, and more to do with the bureaucratic pressures brought on the authority by short term accountancy and regulation minded personnel.

Here are just two examples of what we mean:

First of all, with only any though for making savings, schools have been closed because they weren't bursting at the seams. Sites have been sold. Key sites in very recent years include Dick Sheppard and Santley which are very central. Now there is a need for a new school in the area, land prices are through the roof and there is no affordable site available.

Secondly, Lambeth is rightly concerned that 60% of students of secondary age are going out of the borough. In any situation, a certain percentage would anyway, but nothing like this figure.We are told that the level of surplus places stands at about 18 - 20%. However, the problem isn't solved by closing schools! If schools that remain are oversubscribed and classes are too large, then parents will look elsewhere. Youngsters, not surprisingly want to go where their friends are, they don't want to increase their journey time - in parts of central Lambeth it is easier for a boy to go to a school outside Lambeth than within. By closing schools, even if they're not full, all you do is increase the likelihood of an eleven year old looking to Wandsworth, Southwark or wherever.

Yet another school needed?

One of Mike Peters departing observations as Director was the acknowledgement that the new proposed Clapham school would not answer the needs of all Lambeth children in that it would attract children from around the Wandsworth border, but not from the Tulse hill and Norwood areas.

The new thinking is that there will be a need for a new community school in the borough. The likely sites are Norwood Park or Elm Court. The view of Lambeth Teacher even at this stage is to welcome the proposal when it happens, but to state that the Norwood site would be preferable for planning reasons.

The scale of the problem

Because of the policies pursued by Lambeth since the mid-nineties, the number of unplaced secondary students has grown. At this time in 2001, the number was as high as 900, reduced to about 100 by the start of the new academic year in September. At the time of writing (July 2002) the number is at around 400, so Lambeth LEA are hopeful of being able to place most of these into secondary schools within the borough.

It is probable that this will be achieved, with a minority remaining unplaced and therefore referred to centres in the borough, including Woodfield.

We have many concerns, including whether the children with special needs, possibly a high proportion of these, will be not only suitably placed but also serviced as required.

Woodfield Centre - Another fine mess?

To cope with the shortage of places, Lambeth has opened a 'new school' called the Woodfield Centre on the Mortimer site. There are up to 100 pupils who were unplaced in September.

Nobody was consulted about this and Year 7 pupils have been sent there without proper resources and staffing.

Infact that it was so 'secret' that we discovered that a parent was asking at a library for the centre. The library phoned International House and were infomed that the matter couldn't be discussed, but the parents would have to go to International House. (Presumably to collect their sealed envelope).

Perhaps parents could consider themselves lucky that unusually, the Mortimer site hasn't yet been sold off.

We support serious moves to open secondary schools in Lambeth which serve the community and reverse the exodus of secondary students from the borough. Somehow, this isn't the answer and may well backfire.

latest news: There has been established a Parents' Action Group. In September 2002, there were only 22 admissions, but there were 40 on the waiting list. The parents are delighted with the centre as no doubt they like the small, close environment as opposed to the hurly-burly of the normal secondary environment.

The parents infact want the centre to be declared a school and are for some reason concerned that as a centre it is under the wing of Stockwell Park!

However, the LEA cannot make it a school, only the DfES can approve such a plan. The LEA is intent on opening a new Clapham School within the forseeable future and are intent on building a new secondary school in the south of the borough, perhaps by 2005.

We are always discussing place shortage with Lambeth. In fairness, there is a fluctuating population and it is the view of the LTA that refugee children should be allocated places in the borough, not educated in Blunkett camps. This can only be done if there are sufficient places for existing children and provision for a migrant population. The regulations relating to ''standard numbers' and open enrolment make it impossible to enure that this happens fairly, so Lambeth send children just about anywhere. As long as its no longer 'their problem'.