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Labour Cllr Nash Ali, journalist Fiona Millar, Robin Nash, chairwoman of governors at Edith Neville, Francis Beckett, author, and education chief Cllr Andrew Mennear |
‘Give us the primary school we want’
Governor claims school was offered ‘sweetener’ to agree controversial co-location deal
GOVERNORS at a Somers Town primary school have claimed they were deliberately kept in the dark about council plans to put another school on its grounds.
Robin Nash, chairwoman of governors at Edith Neville, said on Thursday that parents and teachers were not told about Camden’s decision to make it share its Ossulston Street site with Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children.
And when they did respond with worries about how the plan might harm the prospects of children from both schools, their views were ignored, she added.
Ms Nash said: “In May we were told by council officials that one of the reasons they didn’t talk to us was that they thought we wouldn’t like it. We are now at the stage where they would rather break the law than give us information on how they decided on this option.”
Frank Barnes School – an award-winning school where lessons are taught using sign language – is being evicted from its current site on the corner of Adelaide Road, Swiss Cottage, to make way for Camden’s first academy secondary school.
There is no bad blood between the two schools, it is understood, and Edith Neville’s supporters are directing their anger towards the Town Hall.
Ms Nash described a council pledge to bring forward overdue repair work to Edith Neville – part of the school is in Portakabin accommodation – as a “sweetener”.
She said: “The unequivocal position of governors, teachers and parents was that co-location would benefit neither the children of Frank Barnes, nor those of Edith Neville. Frank Barnes is a fine school but it isn’t right for our kids”
Ms Nash was speaking at a meeting staged by the Campaign for State Education at the school. It came on the heels of the 400-strong protest march at the Town Hall last week appeared to take senior figures in the Lib Dem and Conservative alliance by surprise with its large turnout. A major bone of contention is the idea that Edith Neville will not be upgraded unless it plays ball.
Ms Nash added: “We exist in a building where the biggest classroom is smaller than the government recommendation. We operate in half the space we should. We need the outside space for much more than play, especially in such a dense area where families live in overcrowded accommodation without access to outside space. The sweetener from Camden for ignoring our views is that if we co-locate with Frank Barnes we get given £8.5 million for immediate rebuild rather than five years down the line.”
“Camden has left us in an unfit building for 35 years – yet now they want to create their choice of school. We will not be rushed into an inappropriate rebuild and co-location. We can and will wait a while longer to ensure we get the right school.”
Kevin Courtney, branch secretary of Camden NUT, said: “I think you should the council recognise the incredible damage that is being done to the goodwill and the education fabric in this borough. Edith Neville deserves to be rebuilt.”
Camden’s Conservative education chief Councillor Andrew Mennear said he wanted to meet with campaigners to talk through their concerns, although he has been warned the governing body expects an apology over the way it has been treated.
Cllr Mennear said: “The school is operating in challenging circumstances but we have the opportunity here to do something that is transformational.” |
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