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Camden New Journal - by DAN CARRIER
Published: 24 May 2007

Jo Shuter - Quintin Kynaston headteacher

New school’s too close for comfort,
says headteacher

Staff warned over competing neighbours

A SWISS Cottage headteacher has told her staff that they will need to be on top of their game if a proposed new school opens on their doorstep.
Jo Shuter, head at Quintin Kynaston in Marlborough Hill, said she was surprised that Camden Council plans to build a new school in Adelaide Road, just minutes away from her own school gates.
She admitted that parents would have a choice over where to send their children and that it was up to her team to make sure Quintin Kynaston remained an attractive option.
In an interview with the New Journal, Ms Shuter said: “We weren’t told anything by Camden Council.
“The first I heard about it was when I read it in your paper. They have had no contact with me.
“I was surprised because it is so close to our school, but the important thing for us is that we carry on producing results. There is no panic. The waiting list at the moment here goes on forever.
“We can’t do anything about it if Camden chooses to open a school here, so we just have to make sure we stay at the top of our game.”
Camden plans to redevelop the site currently holding Frank Barnes and Swiss Cottage schools for its new secondary – likely to be a city academy and possibly sponsored by University College London.
The choice of sites has raised eyebrows because of its proximity to Quintin Kynaston and Haverstock, at the Chalk Farm end at Adelaide Road.
At the same time, parents in the south of the borough say the need for a new school is greater in their neighbourhoods and that government funding should be used there instead.
Ms Shuter said: “I’m not an expert in demographics but it has been suggested to me that there is more need for a school in the King’s Cross area.”
A critical issue is that Quintin Kynaston is narrowly inside the Westminster side of the borough boundary, while Camden’s proposed new school is on the other side.
In Westminster, places at secondary schools are prioritised for those pupils who go to Westminster primaries and so Camden residents can have difficulty getting access to Quintin Kynaston, even if they live close by.
Ms Shuter said: “I can get pupils from anywhere in Westminster – but people over the road can’t get in.
“If I had my way, you would draw a circle around each school and that was your zone.
“I believe in children walking to school.”
Ms Shuter, who is also running Pimlico School, said that Quintin Kynaston could opt out of local authority control – a move that would change the admissions process.
She added: “We are the only community school left in Westminster. I believe in community schools, but if we are the only school left in Westminster’s control, then it could be difficult if the council are unable to give us the support and the other schools can do what they like.”

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