Having taken the decision to close Sunny Bank I thought the people of Potters Bar might like to know that HCC's forecast of the number of children starting school this September was out by 57 children. There are 244 children due to start but HCC forecast 187.
That means that if they had gone ahead and shut the school in Sept 07 as planned, there would be 19 children in the town without a school to go to.
If they cannot forecast the number of children starting school a year in advance how can they be trusted to preduct even further down the line?
It appears that there are quite a few children having to travel in from borehamwood to our primary schools as there is a shortage of places there.
Rhodie, when would it have been, do you think, that HCC had knowledge of just how incorrect their figures were? I ask because Sunny Bank sought actual birth figures from local surgeries and these figures were precise, whereas HCC's figures, despite the fact they claim to have gathered them from the same source, were and are ridiculously inaccurate.
Of course County got the numbers wrong, a done deal all along unfortunately Sunnybank's land is the most expensive in Potters Bar and they needed it!!!
The school wasn't half empty and there weren't spare places in the other schools?
There are no spaces at any other school now, Little Heath, Ladbrook, Wroxham and even Cranborne are full I think. Oakmere might have space - but there is no choice now!
Spare places cost and finances are limited. Or is a 90% rise in local tax not enough?
Jaf, you have always been fairly negative on the whole SBS story.
Looking forward do you not see the SBS site being sold off to a developer who then builds lots of houses, who sells sells them to people who strangly enough have children, and shock horror Potters Bar then have to build a new primary school, or increase the intakes of existing ones....
There is already numerous amounts of new developments in Potters Bar, recently Claregate in Little Heath has been knocked down to be replaced with 24 2 bedroomed appartments, I am sure that some of these new residents will have children, The Walk has a new development and along the Southgate Road there is considerable new housing. Yes, a new school will need to be be build no doubt, saving money - I doubt it!!
Smiler Wrote:Jaf, you have always been fairly negative on the whole SBS story.
I think I've been positive in that I think it was a good idea to reduce the ridiculous number of surplus school places. I also think that, unless there was a compelling reason to keep an individual school open, the council was right to chose the one where they could make the most profit. I grant you that the decision was taken long before any hint of it leaked out and there was little that could be done to change things. Normally I'd be happy to march with the parents against the council, but this time they managed to make the right decision.
There will no longer be surplus school places unfortunately - a new school will no doubt have to be built at vast expense, but at least the Council got their wish to close down Sunnybank, upsetting hundreds of children and parents in the process and making them suffer, I myself am suffering the upset my son has had to go through as he has had to change school after being offered a place at Little Heath as we could not go to Cranborne. I am sure the Council members have no real hearts or children!!
MILLPHEONIX Wrote:There are no spaces at any other school now, Little Heath, Ladbrook, Wroxham and even Cranborne are full I think. Oakmere might have space - but there is no choice now!
I understand that Oakmere has 27 free places out of 60 in its reception class, and Cranborne School has 6 free places out of 60. (That is for 07/08) I dont know when figures are published for this coming September's intake.
Tom Wrote:MILLPHEONIX Wrote:There are no spaces at any other school now, Little Heath, Ladbrook, Wroxham and even Cranborne are full I think. Oakmere might have space - but there is no choice now!
I understand that Oakmere has 27 free places out of 60 in its reception class, and Cranborne School has 6 free places out of 60. (That is for 07/08) I dont know when figures are published for this coming September's intake.
In the January allocations there were 15 places free at Oakmere in September 08 and 1 at Cranborne. I think these did include Borehamwood children who, for the 2nd year running, had no school places available in their town. I believe some of these Borehamwood children have now been offered a place in their own town now.
Figures show that over the next few years there are far more reception aged children than County predict, and thats without any further development in the town.
If there are any reception places free in Potters Bar over the next couple of years (and thats a big if) they will only be at Oakmere. Hardly offering parental preference, when there is a choice of 1 school! And Oakmere is to the far east of the town and therefore not very easily accessible for most.
have friends who can't get their two primary children in the same school !!!
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