Richmond’s Cabinet confirmed its commitment to providing high quality secondary education for all its residents last week, outlining its proposals on how it will provide sufficient high quality school places, establish sixth forms and support free schools.
In considering a report at last Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, members endorsed the plans to support the expansion of secondary capacity over the next five to seven years, even though the borough currently has spare capacity of more than 200 places in Year 7. The plans allow for provision of secondary places to in-borough residents to rise from approximately 970 today to over 1,700 if demand rises to that level.
To address this, the Council outlined multiple ways in which secondary capacity will expand over this period. These include: expansion within the Council’s five maintained schools on top of the addition of sixth forms, continuing to support the establishment of a Catholic secondary school in Twickenham, and support the multiple free-school applications being made in the borough, expansion in neighbouring boroughs, and if the establishment of a new community secondary, if required in or around 2016.
The Council is also working with secondary schools on the feasibility of introducing sixth forms, possibly as soon as September 2013, and is supporting schools that are working towards converting to academy status.
Comments
The Local Authority are proposing that Orleans lose its link status with primary schools such as St Mary's, St Stephen's, Chase bridge, Worple Primary and the Blue School. Very difficult to predict, but this just may have a particular effect on those St Margarets residents living above the A316 who are not particularly near any Richmond secondary. So just as the path to a all-through local Primary (St Stephen's) within walking distance looks like being cleared once and for all, a block could appear for us Northerners when the anticipated bulge goes through at secondary level in about 2015. Or have I missed something?
If you want to reply to the consultation, read on (from the Council website):
From Tuesday 15th November 2011 until Friday 13th January 2012, the Council will be consulting upon the 2013/2014 admission arrangements for community schools within the borough. Apart from the relevant dates of the coordinated admissions schemes, the only proposed change from the current (and 2012/2013) arrangements is the removal of the 'linked school' criterion from the oversubscription criteria for Grey Court, Orleans Park and Teddington. That means that 'home to school distance' would instead be the main criterion for determining allocations for the three schools.
The full consultation document relating to the overall arrangements and a shorter document relating solely to the proposed removal of the 'linked school' criterion can be found and downloaded here:
www.richmond.gov.uk/home/education_and_learning/schools_and_colleges/school_admissions.htm
Consultation responses should be made, by the closing-date of 13th January 2012, to: Matthew Paul, Head of School Commissioning, at: m.paul@richmond.gov.uk.
Richmond upon Thames Admissions Forum will consider the responses at its meeting on 6 February 2012 and seek consensus to make a recommendation to the Council's Cabinet, which will consider the proposed changes, and the responses to them, at its meeting on 22 March 2012.
Ben Driver on 2011-12-09 16:46:35 +0000'Abolishing the 'linked schools' system: who gains? who loses? A forecast for Orleans Park' is at: twickenhamlibdems.co.uk/en/article/2011/523396/abolishing-the-linked-schools-system-who-gains-who-loses-a-forecast-for-orleans-park
' . . Pupils who were at one of the former link schools but live more than about 1.5 km away would definitely not get into OPS. Matthew Paul [the Council officer who oversee admissions] suggests that north St Margarets "should be" within the catchment, but I don't think he has taken into account the expected large number of applications from parents of children at the Vineyard . . '
Chris Squire on 2011-12-10 09:26:34 +0000Education for all is the right of every one. The education is the basic key for the development of any nation / country . With out education no revolution can be successful to build the nation.
Feifan Chang on 2012-02-08 12:49:22 +0000The 6 February meeting of Richmond Upon Thames Admissions Forum decided (9 to 2, 4 abstentions) to recommend ' . . that Cabinet should approve the proposal to remove the links . .' for Sept 2013 admissions and beyond, affecting current year 5 and below.
www.richmond.gov.uk/adfor060212minutes.pdf
Chris Squire on 2012-02-09 16:49:03 +0000Add a comment