Parent Led Free School Threat.

26/05/2010

Wandsworth Save Our Schools

With the new coalition government firmly in place the way is now paved for the first state school run at a profit to open in Wandsworth.

The new school which is being touted as a ‘parent led’ comprehensive would in fact welcome bids from private companies and charities to run the school. One of the parents involved with the Neighbourhood School Campaign even admitted “Why would we want to go into running a school? We don’t know anything about it”

Battersea and Wandsworth TUC are answering the call from parents, teachers and the community to oppose the plans and pose the question “Where now for an education system in crisis?”

Spencer Barnshaw, a local teacher said “The notion of parent led schools is simply not thought through properly. The idea that parents can 'choose' schools has always been false and now we go one step further with the notion that parents can set up and run schools to provide for their own children. How will this affect existing schools and what will the admissions criteria for these parent led schools be?

“We believe that it is simple: Good local schools for all children which are maintained by the Local Authority in order to meet the needs of all families across the borough is the only way forward. This alone will promote community cohesion and equal opportunity for all.”

The education crisis in Wandsworth has been further fuelled by recent proposals from Wandsworth Council to build a second site of the Northcote ward Belleville school on the old site of the now closed Vines school, in the Shaftesbury ward.

Belleville school which is heavily over subscribed urgently needs more space but the plans would see places denied to children who live on the doorstep of the new site in the Shaftesbury ward due to subscription for Belleville school being confined to Northcote ward children.

Spencer added “The Vines is a special school which was closed down against our wishes and those of the parents and this, as Martin Linton says, is simply not fair or justifiable. Primary kids should be within walking distance of their school.”

If you want to find out more about ‘parent led academy schools’ and the real, detrimental affect that this could have on education across the borough join local teachers and parents to find out more.