Dogma is blocking progress

Published: October 6, 2011

• I WAS dismayed to read that the head and governors of Haverstock school have abandoned their consideration of converting to academy status at an early stage, due apparently to the hostility of some of the teachers and other vested interests.

It seems clear to me that, unlike the vested interests, the head and governors were putting the interests of the children and the school first, in attempting to have a detailed consideration of the benefits of academy conversion.

By being funded directly by central government, academies receive more money to spend as they wish as the local authority ceases to skim a portion.

Academies also give the school greater control to run their own affairs and in this case would allow Haverstock school to compete on a level playing field with the soon to open UCL academy. Parents, when given an option, prefer academies (what does that tell you?), and the danger must be that Haverstock school will become very much a second choice.

Former pupil David Milliband has already commented that the wide social mix of his school days, which contributed to Haverstock’s success, has much reduced in recent years and the competition of a new academy nearby is hardly going to help reverse the trend.

Defenders of the status quo talk of breaking up the family of Camden schools, but this is nonsense as academies are actively encouraged to work with other non-academy schools, they just don’t need the local authority to direct them.

Teachers seem to fear that they will face more scrutiny or criticism under an academy structure, but good teachers would relish the greater freedoms.  In the face of hundreds of schools like Haverstock now converting to academies the Labour parties own position on academies is now ambiguous.

Camden’s own Fiona Millar set up the Local Schools Network to oppose academies, but her position has been somewhat undermined by her fellow founder and contributor, Francis Gilbert, supporting the conversion of his own son’s school to an academy!

This perhaps indicates most clearly the need for a wide-ranging informed debate on the positives and negatives of conversion that puts the interests of its current and future pupils first, even if it means reducing costs in Camden Town Hall and ignoring the teaching unions and a failing political dogma.
Paul D Rivers
Eton Avenue, NW3

A bonkers decision

• AS many readers will be aware, a group of us have been campaigning for a much-needed new primary school in Belsize for since March 2009.

Over the past few months we have also been working very hard to prevent Camden from selling the buildings we hope to house the school in until we hear from  the Department for Education about our free school bid. We expect DfE’s decision this week.

Last Friday evening (September 30), we asked Camden Council’s Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee to refer the matter back to Cabinet and delay the decision for a further two weeks to allow meaningful discussion with DfE should they give the free school in Belsize a green light this week.

We pointed out that the 20-plus bids they have on the table for the buildings is evidence of the buoyant property market and a short delay would not leave the council in financial jeopardy.

The Labour-dominated committee decided against us 5-3 and we are now in a very weird limbo situation.

By the end of this week we really might hear whether we can have a new school in Belsize.

Unfortunately, thanks to Camden’s absurd and bonkers decision, we really might have nowhere to put it.
Jill Barnes
Belsize Park Gardens, NW3

A family that neglects

• AS one of the Belsize Park Free school campaigners I attended the Commission on Education in Camden schools and was delighted to hear Sir Mike Tomlinson say that “it was the right of every parent in Camden to have a good school in their immediate locality”. He went on to add that the key to success and enhancing education in Camden was to champion parents and get them more involved in our schools.

So it was with great sadness in last week’s CNJ that Camden wants to send Yasmin Masters who has to cope with ODD in an ambulance every day to Hounslow where there is a school that can address her needs instead of allowing her to go to the local Tree House school in Muswell Hill.

Camden may be saving £140,000 a year but what a cost to that family while Jasmin cannot go to school locally where the family would receive support from other families.

We heard at the conference from a mother, who herself suffered from a handicap as does her daughter that Camden only has one trained teacher for the deaf for the whole borough.

The council leader Nash Ali stood up and said that “Camden was a family”.

I ask Mr Ali what sort of a family is Camden that it can neglect these two children as well as the families in Belsize Park who have no primary school for their children.
Linda Grove
Belsize Lane, NW3

New nursery

• AT last some good news. The new Caversham nursery is due to open later this month in Kentish Town and is now accepting applications from parents. The nursery is Ofsted-approved and caters for children from three months to five years (under twos have a separate garden and play area) – see www.qcca.org.uk/caversham.html. This new facility, run by a respected local charity with experienced staff in a Camden council building, replaces the Caversham children’s centre that sadly had to close due to national government cuts. I’m really proud of the way parents and community leaders worked with councillors against the odds to make sure that families continue to have access to high quality childcare. The next battle on our hands is to protect provision at Camden Square playcentre, which is a vital resource for local families.
Cllr Phil Jones
Cantelowes ward, NW1