School campaign at Goose Green Fair

This coming Sunday 11 May is the Dulwich Festival Goose Green Fair from 11am to 430pm.

The East Dulwich Secondary School Campaign will have a gazebo there. The campaign steering group will be there along with Habderdashers’ Aske’s Federation staff and some of their year 9 prefects as ambassadors.

I really hope you can come along and say hi, ask searching questions about what we and Haberdashers are proposing, and how that fits with your expectations for a great new school to join the area’s other great schools.

And if anyone can help us make this happen please do get in touch. We can never have too much help. Even just helping blow up balloons from 10am!

PS. We now have over 550 supporting families for our new East Dulwich secondary school. If you know anyone who would like to support our campaign they can sign up here.

Choosing Our Secondary School Provider

Since launching the campaign for a new East Dulwich secondary school we’ve had many suggestions for who could provide it. East Dulwich councillors worked our socks of to find supportive families. The total of families is now at 540.

We thought it important that parents make that decision of who the provider should be. WE expect this school to be around for not just decades but centuries to come. This was the driving force for us creating the Parents Steering Group – I wish we’d done it sooner.

The following document explains the thinking behind choosing Haberdashers’s Aske’s over The Charter School. We had thought the decision would be much tougher than it proved to be. In the end despite so many on the Steering Group thinking they were clear cut for The Charter School it was unanimous for Haberdashers’ after all the evidence was reviewed and studied at length.

Please do read the document. Email me your thoughts. We didn’t take this decision lightly.

FinalSchoolSelectionQandA

Haberdasher’s Aske’s East Dulwich College

I’m delighted to announced the new Haberdasher’s Aske’s East Dulwich College.

The East Dulwich Lib Dem councillors initiated a campaign in 2013 for a new co-ed non-faith secondary free school. This followed their experiences helping to avert the pending primary school places crisis by leading a successful campaign for new local primary schools. It was also informed by casework from distraught local families being offered secondary school places outside the area – places like Catford, New Cross, Walworth. It became clear that a new local secondary school was urgently needed to meet local demand and no later than September 2016. We even brought education minister David Laws MP to East Dulwich to discuss the problem last July.

When we met Southwark Council officials they were clear that no new school was required expecting local kids to travel across London for places and that they would contest any new school we campaigned for. Ouch!

After many months of us leafleting and canvassing homes, schools, street stalls, online we found more than enough support for our campaign and a new free school application to be made. We’d proved the officials wrong. We then moved onto finding a  great school provider. For this we initiated a Parents Steering Group which successfully took on this task and also helped increase the numbers of supporting families. We’ve now reached 454 supporting families.  Working with this group, who have met four times and with us visited various local schools on fact finding trips, and after considerable deliberations, a unanimous decision to work with Haberdashers’ Aske Federation was taken. Haberdashers’  have now announced that their governing body has approved taking this project further. They plan to model a new Haberdashers’ Aske’s East Dulwich College (secondary school) on their outstandingly successful Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College. The school would be for around 180pupils per year group include a sixth form  and open September 2016.

To further support this project East Dulwich Liberal Democrats in February submitted a Right to Contest application, using legislation created by Liberal Democrats in government. The application is about freeing up the two-thirds of the Dulwich Hospital site which has remained unoccupied for over 20 years. The Parents Steering committee agree with us that this space represents the minimum space for our new secondary school.

We look forward to continue working with Haberdashers to support them submitting a free school application November 2014. We still welcome further support via our website www.newschool.org.uk or email us directly cllrjamesbarber@gmail.com

We also welcome the support both Southwark Labour and Conservatives have now given to this project and that officers have now confirmed a new school is needed.

Councillor James barber ” it has been a long journey to reach this stage but I’m truly delighted to bring on board such a prestigious and renowned school provider as Haberdashers’ Aske’s and to model our new school on their Hatcham College”.

Councillor Rosie Shimell added “having denied any need for a new secondary school its great that Lib Dems have won the argument and Southwark Labour are now saying they support our campaign. We just need to see them practically support it now”.

COuncillor Jonathan Mitchell also said “I’ve slogged my guts out canvassing for support for our idea of a new secondary school. So I delighted all our hard work has born fruit attracting such a great school provider to our area who will complement all our existing outstanding schools”.

 

 

 

Jimmy Savile Tragic Southwark Involvement

The Secretary of State for the Department for Education has received information that children at 21 children’s homes and schools may have been abused by Jimmy Savile. He has initiated work to have these cliams investigated thoroughly.

Child abuse scars peoples whole lives. I dont think it’s something that truly goes away from people. They just learn to manage and hide their feelings. It can lead to self harm and suicide and feelings of self-loathing. Truly awful thing to happen to anyone.

Southwark Council had a children’s home called the Hollies in Sidcup between 1965 and 1989 ans this is one of the 21 to be investigated.

If you were at the Hollies and experienced anything untoward please call the NSPCC on 0808 800 500 or email help@nspcc.org.uk for help and advice. It’s crucial lessons are learnt from the disaster that Jimmy Savile has been found to have been.

Fingers crossed the investigation by Southwark will quickly reach a thorough conclusion for all the now adults who could have been affected.

East Dulwich Harris Primary School

Recap – we have a looming primary school places crisis of 215-235 reception places September 2016. The East Dulwich Harris Primary School will provider 60 places to fill this gap with huge local parent support to make it happen.

Harris have appointed the Principal for the school. I’m hoping to meet them in April.

The former East Dulwich Police station has been bought to provide the site for this school. The full funding agreement has been signed off with governments Educational Finance Agency (EFA).

The EFA will have appointed their full technical team by the end of this week to ensure the new school is completed by September 2015 as the permanent site.

Discussions are ongoing about the temporary site the school will open on this September 2014. But it looks 99% likely that the temporary site will be the East Dulwich Harris Girls Academy site.

During the 1st week of April an admissions evening will be held for parents and families.

We just need to find a site for the second local Harris Primary school.

 

Saving Men

The psychological needs of men and boys are often overlooked – males often don’t have someone to talk problems over with such that:

  • Men are three times more likely to commit suicide 
  • Three quarters of missing people are men
  • The majority of those who are homeless are men 
  • The rates on mental illness in the domestic homeless population are high 
  • Men are more likely to be victims of violence
  • 5% of men (compared to 7% of women) have reported being a victim of domestic violence
  • Men and boys can also be victims of physical abuse and sexual abuse
  • Men make up the vast majority of the prison population and it is estimated that 90% of prisoners have mental health problems 
  • Men suffer more substance abuse and dependence
  • Men account for 79% of drug related deaths 
  • Men are more likely to struggle with psychological problems following redundancy or the loss of a job 
    Men’s psychological wellbeing not only effects individuals themselves but also others, including women, children and other men. It is imperative that the psychological needs of men and boys are improved.

Did you realise things were this bad – I hadn’t?

First Steering Group Meet

Sunday afternoon at my home the first inaugral meeting of the steering group for a new East Dulwich free secondary school met.

Inaugral new East Dulwich secondary school campaign steering group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I launched and have run with this campaign for many months it’s definately time to open it up to parents that have the time to help make it happen. I’m also keen that it becomes a cross party campaign. Ensuring enough good school places shouldn’t be political.

A dozen of us chewed over what we’d like to see. We agreed that it would be:

– co ed and non faith

– non selective but have good SEN provision and ensure boys and girls succeed and with gifted and talented.

– subject specialism of teachers and the school specialise working with some of our great world renouned South London institutions.

– engage with parents and supporters.

We also agreed to approach two school providers initially – Prendergast and Haberdashers – to see if either wanted or could fulfil our aspirations. At that point we would pass the baton to them to lead this campaign.

Right to Contest – Dulwich Hospital

 The NHS could be forced to hand over part of the Dulwich Hospital site for a new secondary school after a local councillor formally referred the matter to Government Ministers.

A decision on its future will now be made by a panel comprising of Treasury Ministers and the Cabinet Office after I invoked new ‘Right to Contest’ powers to push the NHS, which owns the land, into selling it on. WS Dulwich Hospital 131216_Right_to_Contest_application_form_final

Despite the site being 27,000m² – the size of around four football pitches – currently less than a tenth of the space is being used.

I submitted the application earlier this month (5 February). I want to see at least half of the spare land used for a new secondary school to help plug the shortfall of permanent school places in the area. Land would also be available for the health centre already being planned on the site.

I believe this to be one of the very first applications of its kind in the country, after the new powers were introduced by the Government to free up public land and help boost economic growth. Launching the scheme in late January, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander MP said the Government “should not act as some kind of compulsive hoarder of land and property” that could be better used for other purposes.

My application will now go forward for review by the Government panel, which will also see input from the NHS and the Department of Communities and Local Government before a decision is made.

It is amazing that after 20 years of false starts the Dulwich Hospital site is still in limbo. It is a criminal shame that so much land stands idle and under utilised for decades, especially when money is tight.

Dulwich desperately needs a new local secondary school – not children being bussed far and wide as Labour propose. That’s why we have submitted an application using new Right to Contest rules on the use of public land, which were introduced by Liberal Democrat Ministers in government.

We are on the side of local parents who want to see a new and much-needed secondary school in the area, and an end to Dulwich Hospital being left as an empty wasteland….

Dulwich Hospital cleared site

Site found – East Dulwich Harris Free School

Great news that a permanent site for the East Dulwich Harirs free primary Scohol has been found.

East Dulwich councillors initiated this cmapaign in late 2012 when we realised Southwark ocuncil’s plans were inadequate to solve the looming primary school reception place crisis.

The new permanent site will be the former East Dulwich Police station. The school will open there September 2015. But it will open on a temporary site tihs September 2014. Very exciting.

Thanks you to all the parents who have lent us their support to make this possible and happen. For the Harris Federation who have acted brilliantly throughout. And all the supporters who have helped make this site possible – it has been a very bumpy, stressful ride.

cllr outside new primary scholl site

East dulwich Lib Dem councillors where the new school will go.

ED Changes for 2014/15

Every year local ward councillors get to decide how to spend some devolved Cleaner, Greener, Safer budget. The scheme started when Lib Dems first led the council in 2002 with only one year when it didn’t operate when the Labour administration wanted to use the money on pet Olympic projects.

I’m particularly excited by the prospect of improving the junction of North Cross Road with Lordship Lane. It’s one of our crash hot spots, doesn’t work well when closed for the street market on Saturdays. The Bike hangars will be a great experiment to see if they can work locally in East Dulwich – fingers crossed. And lastly trialling the Dulwich Hospital phlebotomy service on Saturdays. IT should really make it much easier for people to have blood tests outside of normal work hours and provide a real alternative to being at the hospital before 7am weekdays.

This year East Dulwich councillors have decided to allocate the following:

CGS capital:

–          ED Crime Prevention fund £10,000

–          ED street trees £10,000

–          Lordship Lane secure derelict property £4,500

–          Chesterfield £6,000 for upgrading street lighting to white light, £4,000 for pavement tree pit upgrading.

–          Bike hangars – fund 2 to be decided where most popular by residents £10,000

–          East Dulwich Community Centre (EDCC) children garden area materials £524

–          Bassano Street gating £2,000

–          Dawson Heights tree planting £1,000

–          Upgrade junction of NCR/LL £50,000

–          ED public Automated Emergency Defibrillators £5,000

–          Historic photos project £4,500

Total £112,524

 

CGS revenue:

–          Give and take EDCC events £1,500

–          Goose Green nursery improvements £1,400

–          EDCC gardening £700

–          WW2 plaques across Dulwich £667

–          Street cleaning machine extra half-time employee £11,605

–          Saturday Dulwich Hospital blood testing trial x 26 weeks (as per separate email) £20,000

Total £35,872