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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:7 June 2007

Capacity for creative thinking on criteria for school places

•CAMDEN Council claims that building a new secondary school in Swiss Cottage is the only option that will enable it to fill the undoubted demand for places in the borough.
Based on many years’ involvement with Camden’s schools as a parent, governor and parent-representative, I suggest the following ways to create more capacity for Camden residents in Camden schools, thereby enabling the council to concentrate on building a secondary school in the south of the borough where there is real and demonstrated need for more places.

Problem
Four of Camden’s nine secondary schools are located in a small area in the north east of the borough east of Hampstead Heath, a large, unpopulated open space. This means that those who live further west of these schools fail to get access to the schools on the distance criterion.

Solution
Discounting open space over a certain area (eg Hampstead Heath, Regent’s Park, Waterlow Park) when calculating the distance criterion for application for school places would maintain the principle of schools serving a locality and allow a greater number of Camden residents admission to these schools.
Another method would be to consider a system of feeder primary schools, which would acknowledge links with local schools across borough boundaries.

Problem
A substantial number of places at secondary schools are allocated on the sibling criterion. This criterion has been around so long that no one questions whether any educational benefit for younger children in attending the same school as older brothers and sisters justifies disadvantaging first-born children, only children and those whose siblings are of a different gender and attend single-sex schools or special schools.

Solution
Abolish the sibling criterion for admission to secondary school. Those families who want their children to attend the same school as older siblings will still be able to gain admission on the distance criterion.

Problem
Fraud. We all know that some people successfully lie about their address to gain a place in a Camden school but no one ever seems to find out about it.

Solution
Investigate with rigour the information about addresses supplied (checking with primary schools would be a good place to start) at the point of entry and conduct spot checks during Year 7. Even one high-profile prosecution would be a powerful disincentive to parents considering cheating.

Camden’s policy on school admissions should aim to be fair, easy to understand and to reduce uncertainty and anxiety.
Unfortunately the current proposals fail to address longstanding problems, and may end up creating new ones.
CLIO WHITTAKER
Address supplied

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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