School with a small class size will be a real benefit

Published: 2 September, 2010

• AS a new parent living in the local area I was pleased (and relieved) to hear that St Luke’s Church, Kidderpore Avenue, is proposing to open a “free” primary school in September next year.

I would think that everyone in Camden would be pleased to have more school places available and I was surprised and dismayed to read the letter and article (Opponents warn that ‘free school’ will not solve shortage crisis, August 19) criticising the proposal.

Why does an article that states that 76 primary pupils were left without a place in Camden last year (a depressing statistic) go on to criticise a proposal to provide an extra 15 places because it “will not solve” the problem?

As someone who attends St Luke’s I am very pleased it is doing something to help the situation and it seems to me that rather than criticising this effort as “small” or “tiny” it would be better to encourage more community groups to open schools so that the problem would be “solved”!  As a primary school teacher (in South Harrow) used to teaching class sizes of 28 to 30 children I think starting a school with a “small” class size of 15 will greatly benefit the children who attend.

It will also help the school make and maintain relationships with parents and the community and it will enable the school to open quickly and provide much needed places as soon as possible.

I don’t know if political motivations lie behind the statement [in the letter] that there is “a disproportionate number of church (Roman Catholic/ Church of England) primary schools in Camden” and the suggestion that this is somehow undesirable to Camden residents.

Figures for applications to Camden schools in 2009 of 2.7 applicants for every community school place and 3.3 applicants for every C of E school place seem to suggest that Camden parents would welcome this addition.

For the sake of the education of our children I urge Camden’s Labour councillors and ex-councillors to set their political prejudices aside and support this proposal (and other similar projects) that are seeking to deal with an existing problem right now.

As a primary school teacher living in the borough, and more importantly as a Camden parent please let’s support this “free” school project.

LEAH PETTINGELL
Gondar Gardens, NW6