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Carnival time at Peter Hills
CARNIVAL TIME came to St Peter Hills Primary School in Rotherhithe on Friday, as all two hundred students dressed up to mark the end of Black History Month, writes Luke Layfield.
The school is twinned with Park Dene School in Cape Town, South Africa, and students made their own brightly-coloured African style dress to parade around the school in.
Year four teacher Nathalie Ulysses said: “We felt it was fitting to mark the end of Black History month with a real show of colour and all the children loved it.” (Southwark News 27.10.05)
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PM has tea with school campaigners
THE PRIME Minister visited frustrated Dulwich parents in the dining room of their home on Tuesday to address concerns about the provision of education in the area.
Tony Blair popped into the house of campaigner George Leathy in Friern Road, East Dulwich, at noon to talk to him and other supporters of an unresolved five-year long fight for ‘EDEN’ academy to be built in Dulwich.
Mr Blair, who was accompanied by Education secretary Ruth Kelly, sat over breakfast drinking tea with several mums and dads taking questions and listening to the problems they have encountered throughout their campaign.
George has led a five-year campaign by the parents of East Dulwich and Nunhead Educational Network (EDEN) to demand adequate schools for boys in the area but said the effectiveness of their actions had been hampered by lack of support.
As parents requesting a new school be built rather than parents of children at an establishment, Mr Leahy claimed that they were not taken seriously.
Mr Blair’s visit followed Mr Leahy’s speech at Downing Street on Monday in response to the publication of a ‘white paper’ that the PM told parents will lead to a shift in legislation to empower them to make the changes they have asked for.
If the paper becomes legislation it promises put more responsibility in the hands of parents and less in those of LEAs, to allow campaigns such as EDEN’s to move more quickly - yet parents on Tuesday remained unconvinced.
The controversial paper, part of the government’s educational reform, has met with widespread criticism, including the comments of former Chief Inspector of Schools Chris Woodhead, who said he feared standards would drop across the board.
Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has allegedly condemned the bill as being likely to put educational power into the hands of the richer, middle class parents while working class families stand to miss out on. The document proposes that parents will be able to apply to found their own state schools, where they will be able to be exercise the right to dismiss incompetent staff, influence the curriculum and order Ofsted investigations.
Also central to its purpose is the re-introduction of selection into state schools to create a truly comprehensive intake of pupils, as dictated by entrance exams, to prevent families monopolising desirable schools by moving to their catchment areas.
It recommends teachers be allowed to exercise greater force to restrain violent pupils and proposes the creation of ‘trust schools’, which will operate independently of their Local Education Authorities.
Mr Leahy claimed that EDEN had been systematically stopped from finding a way to resolve the lack of boys’ school spaces in the area.
The ‘News’ has followed their campaign since it began in 1999 when Waverley Girls’ school was approached to see if their vacant lower site could be sold off, with the uppers site turned into a mixed school.
But David Blunkett, the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment, overruled the council’s plan, saying that there was a demand for single-sex educational establishments in the area.
At first the governors of Waverley Girls’ School opposed the parents of East Dulwich and Nunhead when they requested the girls’ school go ‘co-education’ to remedy the lack of school spaces for boys in the area.
But despite the opposition, campaigners persisted in pushing for a transformation of the school into a mixed comprehensive to provide local education for their sons.
A feasibility study was then carried out by the council into whether the lower site could also become a boys’ school, with the two branches operating together as a ‘building schools for the future’ funded federated school or as a city academy.
The plan to create a combined federated academy, which would specialise in sport as the current girls’ school does, is now being considered by the Academy Unit’s Andrew Adonis, from whom parents are hoping for a decision next week.
If the plan is passed, Waverley will operate as two single sex schools, but with one governing body and sixth form and be yet another academy to open in the borough. Following in the footsteps of those in Peckham and Bermondsey, with others in the pipeline.
Southwark Labour leader Peter John, who met with Lord Adonis last week, said of the Prime Minister: “It is fantastic to see the support he has expressed in the visit.”
He added that Bermondsey academy plans were secured within twelve months and that he could not see a reason why such a school in the south of the borough could not be approved as quickly to facilitate an even geographical spread.
It’s too late for us
Despite the Prime Minister’s apparent efforts to listen and learn from parents at Friern Road, a feeling prevailed that the gesture was too little too late.
The ‘News’, which has covered the EDEN campaign over the years, was the only paper to attend Mr Blair’s impromptu visit to East Dulwich, and spoke to parents after he left.
Parents who campaigned for a EDEN school for five years put angry questions to Mr Blair and left the meeting feeling despondent and that, even if the necessary education reform took place, their children would not benefit.
Mr Leahy’s partner Ann Jones said: “We started campaigning five years ago when our son was in year one, but if the academy goes ahead it won’t be until 2008 at the earliest - that is too late for us and our children”.
Mr Leahy also said he felt the system had failed his children and that his ten-year old son Euryn was unlikely to get into either of the schools he had applied to, and that even they were too far away.
Campaigner and parent Abby Taubin said: “A government should provide local schools and if they don’t do that, and I have to pay for private school for my son, then I should get my taxes back.”
Aside from anger at feeling failed by the system, parents also expressed suspicions that, even if the much-disputed educational white paper led to a reform in legislation, few improvements would be evident.
Ms Taubin said the bill was convoluted and complicated and that she predicted little worthwhile action would result from it.
But despite the friction most parents saw it as a positive move that Mr Blair had discussed the reform with them and felt that his support of their campaign would stand them in good stead to gain approval to develop an academy.
Adam Glasser said: “I felt both he and Ruth Kelly listened to us and handled some pretty aggressive questions from us all. They understand the need to do something and have said they will speak to Andrew Adonis [of the Academy Unit] next week”.
Although Waverley school governor Simone Lane said she was unsure whether or not they would know the outcome of the decision about the academy so soon, she saw the Prime Minister’s backing as a positive sign.
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New academy plans unveiled- Aylwin could be replaced
PLANS FOR the new ‘Harris Bermondsey Academy’, set to replace the current Aylwin Girls’ school, were unveiled at a public meeting at the school on Monday.
The school plans to become part of the Government’s drive for city academies, new schools which are partly funded by a private sponsor.
Cathy Loxton, Headteacher of Aylwin School, said: “I am immensely excited about this project. It will enable the Aylwin girls to reach the sky when working for their futures.”
The meeting was chaired by Peter Wyman, chair of the Aylwin School governors and was addressed by Ms Loxton, Murray Smith of project designers John McAslan and Partners, representative of Lord Harris, Phil Saunders and Mick Daniels, the deputy director of education for Southwark.
The new school, which is provisionally called the ‘Harris Bermondsey Academy’, is planned to open in September 2008, or earlier if circumstances permit.
Plans were outlined for the new academy to provide schooling for girls up until the age of eighteen and to specialise in enterprise and vocational courses. The focus of courses will be on organisation, decision making, personal responsibility and communication.
The decision to create the new academy means that the school will be able to employ a “wide variety” of staff with relevant experience in non teaching positions, in a similar arrangement to the new ‘head of year’ system at the City of London Academy in Lynton Road.
The admissions policy of the school will not change when it becomes an academy. There will be 180 admissions in years 7-11 and 250 girls in the combined sixth form, all admitted on the fair banding basis.
Rather than constructing new buildings, the plans are for the current buildings to be extensively refurbished one by one, whilst pupils are taught in a multi-storey portacabin situated in the school grounds.
Murray Smith, from the design team John McAslan and partners said: “It will be a complete overhaul of the environment for the new academy.”
Southwark Education’s Mick Daniels was at pains to point out that the proposal to close the Aylwin School was entirely contingent on its reopening as an academy. He anticipated the design, once it had seen its two statutory periods of consultation and been passed by the council executive, returning to the school organisation committee for a final decision in March.
Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Skelly, former executive member for education, attended the meeting and said: “In three or four years’ time people will be beating the door down to get into Southwark secondary schools.” (Southwark News 20.10.05)
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Elephant schools get city academy approval
JOSEPH LANCASTER and Geoffrey Chaucer schools at Elephant & Castle are to close and become a new City Academy.
The decision was made at a meeting of the council’s Executive committee on Tuesday night. The process of developing the new school will now enter the period of statutory consultation on the closure of the old schools, The new academy, should it be given the final go ahead, will be part funded by public money and the educational hedge-fund charity, ARK Education. The new school is expected to open in September 2008 and executive member for education, Cllr Caroline Pidgeon, said: “It is a very exciting time making sure we have top education for all our children. I have met with ARK and they have good ideas and a very personal approach to education. It is great we are embracing the whole extended school agenda, where schools stop being 9am-3pm places and immerse themselves in the community, with something going on almost every day of the year.”
A spokesperson for ARK Education said they were delighted the decision has gone through.
The go ahead means that Southwark has officially given blessing for the creation of its third city academy, after Lord Harris of Peckham sponsored The Academy at Peckham and the Corporation of London backed the City of London Academy in Bermondsey. (Southwark News 20.10.05)
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New head congratulated
SCHOOLS MINISTER Jacqui Smith this week congratulated the new head teacher of Surrey Square Primary School in Walworth for being the first Fast Track teacher to be offered the role.
Liz Robinson, 29, is the first such teacher to be offered the role since the scheme’s inception in 2000.
The programme, now open to qualified teachers only, was launched as part of an on-going drive to modernise the teaching profession in England.
Fast Track is an ‘accelerated leadership development programme’ designed to help the most talented teachers progress towards the top leadership roles in education. Speaking about her recent promotion, Liz said: “I am naturally very pleased to have been offered the Headteacher’s role and I’m extremely excited about getting started in January. Since becoming a teacher I have always wanted be a head and the leadership and management training, coupled with the individual support offered by Fast Track programme has allowed me to realise my potential as early as possible.”
For more information on the programme visit www.fasttrack-teaching.gov.uk (Southwark News 20.10.05)
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History celebrations
ACROBATS, BREAK dancers, gospel singers all took part in Walworth School’s celebrations for Black History Month recently.
Event organisers, Donejaye Cameron and Nieman Prince were quick to stress the inclusivity of the month’s work. Donejaye commented: “Black History is everyone’s history, it’s something we can all embrace, black and white. It’s a common culture that we celebrate every day inside and outside the school and our community.” (Southwark News 20.10.05)
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Camberwell students fly to Thailand to help orphans
A GROUP of twenty students from Camberwell’s Sacred Heart School fly to Thailand on Monday to volunteer at an orphanage some 80 miles south of Bangkok.
The Pattaya Orphanage houses over 200 children and runs a number of projects aimed at keeping youngsters off the streets.
The main challenge for Southwark’s pupils, aged between twelve and sixteen, will be to install and equip a carpentry work-shop, offering Pattaya’s inhabitants a valuable chance to gain independence and learn a trade. The students will also help to care for some of the babies and volunteer on the onsite farm, which provides much of the food for the organisation.
Both school and orphanage are keen to highlight the mutual benefits of the scheme. Deputy Headteacher Serge Cefai, who selected the students from a stream of applications, comments: “It is a wonderful chance for them to experience another culture and see first hand what a difference they can make.” Sue Strode, Schools Liaison Office at the UK’s Pattaya Orphanage Trust, agrees, and hopes the project will start a trend: “The school has raised an outstanding sum of money for a much-needed cause. We hope this will set a challenge to other schools supporting the Pattaya Orphanage and its work helping disadvantaged children and young people in Thailand.”
The trip is the culmination of months of dedicated fundraising, that have seen pupils taking part in such diverse activities as an international evening, a balloon race and a sponsored London Bridge walk. Staff and students can now relax over the weekend, safe in the knowledge that they have far exceeded their target in raising over £23,000, ready to embark on the experience of a lifetime. For more information on the Pattaya Orphanage Trust, please visit www.patayaorphanage.org.uk (Southwark News 20.10.05)
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