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School facts could be better
• I WOULD like to set the record straight on a number of points made by the Holborn and St Pancras Secondary School Campaign in their letter last week (Research this plan for school properly, October 19).
The proposal for a new school on the Adelaide Road site is based on proper research.
Need for secondary places is greatest in the north-west of Camden and south of Euston Road. The data supporting this case was given in a report to the School Organisation Committee in March.
There are 180 places in primary schools south of Euston Road, with 164 pupils in Year 6 in those five primary schools seeking secondary places in 2006. Of these 88 (54 per cent) were offered a place in a Camden school.
Whilst this is not a high enough number of offers for Camden schools it is not correct to state, that 180+ pupils go through secondary transfer each year knowing that they do not live in the catchment area of a secondary school.
There is an equally valid case for new secondary school places in both the north-west and the south of Camden.
We have not seen our commitment to build a new school as a competition between the two areas. The government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme will meet building costs but does not fund site purchase costs.
A new site of the size required for a secondary school is estimated to cost over £30m, which is well beyond the ability of the council.
A detailed site search over the summer found the Adelaide Road site to be the only site which met the criteria of size, availability and affordability (being already owned by the council).
There is no conflict with Quintin Kynaston School as that is a Westminster school where preference for admission is given to pupils attending Westminster primary schools. The site search did not identify any appropriate, affordable site south of the Euston Road, which is why the Council is proposing to expand South Camden Community School.
Cllr Andrew Mennear
Executive Member for Schools
• SOUTH Camden is treated as an area that consists only of businesses and office blocks.
But hidden away is a population which is thriving and will be expanding even more with the completion of the King’s Cross project and other renovation plans in the area.
We urgently have need of a quality secondary school in this area and if necessary this should be in addition to the one proposed at Swiss Cottage.
There is no reason for the children from this area to have to travel across the borough to attend school, there are many sites which would be suitable and if the Government can manage to finance war they should find it easy to finance a new school South of Euston Road. The children deserve the best we can give them.
V Murphy
Dombey Street, WC1
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