School – it’s not snobbery

Published: 9 December, 2010

• HEATHER Johnson, Camden’s cabinet member for schools’ insistence that the shortage of primary school places in the north-west of Camden is going to be solved by her planned new school in Liddell Road is simply wishful thinking. 

The problem extends throughout Kilburn, Swiss Cottage, Belsize. One look at a map makes it very clear this school is too close to the border with Brent for it to solve the problem beyond West Hampstead. Brent has a similar shortage problem and places at the new school will start leaking to Brent before any children from the south of Kilburn, Swiss Cottage and particularly Belsize get in. That is not to say that a Liddell Road school won’t help with the problem, but it won’t solve it by a long shot, particularly as it is not due to open until 2015.

Our proposal to open a new community school in 2012 right in the heart of the problem area takes advantage of the free school legislation. This will allow us to access government funds for the project, something Camden is unable to do. 

Cllr Johnson thinks our proposal is “about parents saying we want a school around the corner and we want to control it” (New Journal, December 2). She further stated at the cabinet that it is about “NW3 parents not wanting to send their children to NW6”. 

This is an insult to all involved in this campaign, implying that we are doing this out of selfishness and snobbery. We are acting because otherwise reception-age children in the area will find it difficult or impossible to get a school place in the coming years. We would prefer Camden to provide and run the school but we find ourselves trying to solve this problem because Camden lacks either the will or the way. We are doing this for the wider community. 

If the administration would only engage with us we would be able to explain how our proposal has the potential to make a huge impact for children in Camden, at no cost to Camden at all. 

Sadly Cllr Johnson declined to attend our recent meeting and the cabinet refused to hear our deputation last Wednesday.

PARENTS WORKING GROUP 
FOR A NEW PRIMARY SCHOOL