According to Welwyn & Hatfield Times one of the schools in PB will be closed (
click here to read story)
The last week before Christmas strikes me as a very cynical time to release controversial news.
<Zero: Made hyperlink clickable (all hyperlinks in forum were broken from forum upgrade)>
At my daughter's school this was mentioned a couple of months ago in a newsletter from the Head. It is not new news as such. We were told do not listen to any rumours about which school it will be. I think a lot of parents will already be aware. Of course, you can't help but speculate as to which school it will turn out to be.
Isn't it "funny" that they have chosen the 2 schools with the most grounds. Oakmere and Sunnybank. Isn't there enough housing in Potters Bar as it is. Surely a few more houses isn't going to make that much difference.
If they chose Oakmere it would ruin it completely. The fields are adjacent to the woodland which is ideal for teaching kids.
Petition time I think folks.
I did think who has the most valuable School grounds.... Sunnybank sprung to mind.
What I'm confused about is numbers of Children. Three forms to close? Dunno about other Schools but my kids school has a full class this year.
So. We close one School, maybe two. Land gets sold off. Builder builds more houses (as under pressure from central government to build more).
More houses = More Families = More Kids = More school places needed..... Or am I missing something?
Thats exactly what I thought. Plus surely smaller classes means there is a better teacher student ratio therefore kids learn better.
Who comes up with these ideas!! I don't know.
I am a parent at one of the schools named in the latest list of options, and am really angry at these latest developments. I cannot believe the way this has been handled. Its not just the parents at the named schools who are angry. No parent I have spoken to from any of the schools is happy with what has gone on. Very short sighted view by Council and yes I feel sure there are other motives behind this. If the council can reject a unanamous vote (from 90 odd school representatives) that the 3 options put forward should be removed, at the last meeting with council officials - then something is not right or democratic. Interesting to note that 2 of the schools listed are supposed to be on greenbelt land. mmmm
I have it on good authority that the people who made the recommendations did not even go and visit the schools. The various schools that have been mentioned as expanding do not want to increase in size - anyway if they have to spend money building extra classrooms, how come they're saving money?
In a few years' time, there'll be a shortage of primary places in Potters Bar ...
Our daughter goes to Sunny Bank School. I and a lot of my neighbours who live on the estates near the school/friends at the school think that this whole business has been handled very badly by the County Council. They are not listening to any of our viewpoints. There is a new housing develpment being built in Southgate Road, presumably families will be moving in there. They will need schools. A lot of older people that I have been chatting to around the Sunny Bank estate are saying the same as everyone else here. They are after the schools with the largest pieces of land to build on!! Greed prevails over reasonable behaviour. Do the childrens feelings and stress levels in all this aggravation count for anything. Also there will be a lot more traffic in the town if they close one or both of these schools. Elm Court is used by the community for the excellent Carnival every year and Car Boot Sales which are extremely popular. Why should they get their hands on Parkfield Open Space also . We need greenery! The two schools are on Green Belt Land also. Mores to the point a lot of younger people are buying the bungalows close to where we live and improving them. A lot of people with kids are starting to move here or are moving here because of the school when they are planning a family, sometimes later on in life. People are having kids older nowadays and waiting until they can afford to live in a nice area like ours! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OUR SCHOOLS!!
I don't understand why everyone gets so heated about schools. In Potters Bar, we have so many. I think the council must know what its doing. I have heard that some schools are having to combine two year groups to make up class sizes. If anything, I thought that Wroxham would be closed and Cranborne would be expanded.
People get angry because not only does if affect their children emotionally having to be moved to another school, but it also impacts on the traffic in the main roads of Mutton Lane, Darkes Lane and the High Street. Not only that, but if they build houses on the land of Sunny Bank and/or Oakmere more families will be moving into the area and will need school places anyway. They made Cranborne smaller to accomodate a new housing estate. Now look what may happen; it may have to be enlarged again!! Plus the Green Belt is being snatched. Can't they build on old factories or something?
We get angry because we don't want our children to become a number in a large school. We want them to get the best education possible and most of all we want them to be happy.
We also get angry because of the unfair way in which these things are carried out by the council. The way they have conducted this review is unbelievable.
We would all like to think the 'council know what they are doing'. But it wasn't that long ago both Mount Grace and Chancellors were for the axe. What would parents have done then. The plans to close them were thrown out because people stuck up for what they wanted.
This is a council that wanted to put a landfill site near Barnet Road and also spent an alleged £1.2m on the junction on Mutton Lane (all for 1 extra lane). A poject that overran by months.
We need to be heard so that we get what is best for our town and community.
Sunnybank's name as a school to close was put forward too early, blighting our school, making people and children think that it was this school to close even before the whole process had properly started, making me think that perhaps the outcome had already been decided before the process started.
Both Sunnybank and Oakmere are the largest school in Potters Bar, both able to take extra children easily, where as the newer schools will have difficulty in accomodating the extra children, land may have to be brought in order to cope with the extra capacity.
In my view no school in Potters Bar should close, it will effect our childrens future and the future of the country in the long run.
We parents at Sunnybank will fight tooth and nail to save our school, the fight is no where near over!
The review of primary school places is taking place throughout most of Hertfordshire and apparently school closures were successfully fought in Stevenage.
That's a brilliant bit of news and very encouraging in our fight against the closures. It will give us a bit of hope! Many thanks.
For all you good people who care about Sunny Bank school, childrens education and the local neighbourhood please go to;
Save Our Sunny Bank
There is a wealth of information there about the councils ludicrous proposals and what we can do to prevent it all from happening!