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OCT 2011 - CAMDEN SUCCEED IN BLOCKING THE BELSIZE FREE SCHOOL by selling buildings before the DfE decsion on the school.

 

A combinbation o

 

 

 

SEPT 2011 - CAMDEN TRY TO BLOCK THE BELSIZE FREE SCHOOL
by seling buildings before the DfE decsion on the school.

UPDATE

We are delighted that Camden Opposition Councillors have 'called-in' the decision of the Camden Cabinet to sell the hostels. The Cabinet decision will be reviewed by another committee. We hope to hear from the Department for Education while this review is going on, so the DfE decision can be taken into account. If the Cabinet still decides to sell the site to developers, even if the DfE approves our application, we would consider legal action against the Council.

 

What is the council's hidden agenda?

This man, Labour Councillor Theo Blackwell, is happier
to see yet more luxury apartments and big profits for developers, than a new school for local children!

Not much of a socialst!

EMAIL HIM theo.blackwell@camden.gov.uk

Tell him what you think of his attitude to the Free School
and his council's lousy treatment of Belsize Children

In an outrageously anti-Belsize move, Finance Chief Theo Blackwell and the Labour led Camden Council have put the proposed Free School buildings on the market, saying they don’t want to wait until the DfE make a decision in Sepetmber.

One has to ask what hidden agendas and vested interests are at play, when the council prefers to flog a potential school building to private developers for yet more luxury apartments, rather than wait less than 2 Months for the DfE decision? This is just not right!

The only reason we are trying to get a new Free School, is because year after year Camden have ignored the education needs of Belsize and its growing young population. Instead of providing, they obfuscate!

The DfE announce a shortlist in August with a final decision in September. Instead of waiting just two months for a decision Camden are deliberately trying to block the proposed school by selling off the premises.

If the school is funded, the trustees hope to buy the premises at market value and Camden will not lose a penny This is a blatant politically & class motivated move by the Council and an insult to the parents and children of NW3.

EMAIL CLLR THEO BLACKWELL theo.blackwell@camden.gov.uk

Tell him what you think of his attitude to the Free School

PROTESTING IN WRITING HAS THE MOST EFFECT

WRITE TO YOUR MP - www.writetothem.com

WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS. If they want Belsize votes they shoud be supporting a Belsize School - www.writetothem.com

WRITE TO OUR LOCAL PAPERS

Josie Hinton @ Camden New Journal jhinton@camdennewjournal.co.uk

Charlotte Newton @ Ham and High charlotte.newton@hamhigh.co.uk

BBC Website Story HERE

Evening Standard Story HERE

The Belsize Free School Website HERE

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SALE ON NOW! at One Step Beyond at 96 Belsize Lane who are now stocking gorgeous clothes as well as their range of shoes. We get all Tom's shoes there. Shop Local!

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Amazing watercolour of Belsize in 1690 - history

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WARNING 1: BOGUS TREE SURGEONS
Camden Council is warning residents to be on their guard against rogue tree surgeons targeting homes in the borough. Conmen are calling door to door offering to carry out works that day, informing people they already have permission. This has meant unauthorised works carried out to protected trees and trees in conservation areas - resulting in their removal or destruction. SEE NEWS

WARNING 2: FAKE BURGLAR ALARM COMPANIES
The Police say they have received calls from residents in Hampstead stating that a company called either Client Protection Ltd, Crime Protection Ltd or Crime Prevention Initiatives are trying to sell burglar & fire alarms. They state that the installation is free but you have to pay a monitoring charge and they may get you to sign an alarm contract for several years. The caller always withhold their telephone number, they ask you for personal details and try very forcibly to make
an appointment with you JUST HANG UP THE PHONE!

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Did you know?

Our local Tardis, The Late Late Store sells all sorts of general hardware, tools, nuts and bolts. Look in the backof the store.

The Belsize Kitchen has great Live Music two or three nights a week
http://www.belsizekitchen.co.uk/news.html

Roni's will bake the most amazing and tasty Birthday Cakes to order.
http://www.ronisonline.co.uk/

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MAY 2011
The RED DOT is the Belsize BLACK HOLE for Schools

 

SCHOOLS CRISIS IN BELSIZE PARK - UPDATE APRIL 2011

WE NEED A FREE SCHOOL in Belsize Park

MORE INFO & SIGN THE PETITION on www.belsizeparkprimary.org

There is an extreme lack of school places in our area and most of those that exist are at religous schools, which is nonsense when the majority of the population is not religous.

SCamden have totally gnored the changing demographic of our area and have not made proper provision for the schooling of our younch children.

In the January 2010 school census, there were NO vacancies in reception classes in our nearest 10 schools. This is in contrast to the recommended 5-10% vacancy rates and reflects the lack of primary school places in the area. The birth rate is also rising in this area

We have applied to the Department for Education under their new programme to set up Free Schools in response to parental demand.
We think there is a strong case for a Free School in Belsize Park.

“We, the undersigned, support the application for a Free School in Belsize Park to address the ongoing lack of non-religious primary school places for local children.”

SIGN THE PETITION on www.belsizeparkprimary.org

We are also collecting information about the children who might attend the school through our website.

See the SCHOOLS page for more backgound

 

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SCHOOLS CRISIS IN BELSIZE PARK - APRIL 2011

WE NEED A FREE SCHOOL in Belsize Park

UPDATE FROM The Belsize Park Primary School Committee

We ask all Belsize parents to support this vitalinitiative.

see belsizeparkprimary.org or send an email to

Harriet Nowell-Smith at hnowellsmith@gmail.com

There is an extreme lack of school places in our area and most
of those that exist are at religous schools, which is nonsense
when the majority of the population is not religous.

In the January 2010 school census, there were NO vacancies in reception classes in our nearest 10 schools. This is in contrast to the recommended 5-10% vacancy rates and reflects the lack of primary school places in the area. The birth rate is also rising in this area

We have applied to the Department for Education under their new programme to set up Free Schools in response to parental demand.
We think there is a strong case for a Free School in Belsize Park.

The Department for Education has not yet made a decision on our application. We have received an encouraging response in which they request more information. They ask for more evidence of parental demand for this particular school.

“We, the undersigned, support the application for a Free School in Belsize Park to address the ongoing lack of non-religious primary school places for local children.”

SIGN THE PETITION on www.belsizeparkprimary. org

We are also collecting information about the children who might
attend the school through our website.

Can you volunteer to help at the school?

For example, if you would be willing to spend 2 hours per week helping in a classroom, or with an after-school club, we would be keen to hear from you. Evidence of support of this kind will strengthen our application.

Two public meetings - One Easter Event

Friday 8 April - 10.30 - 11.30 at the Interchange, Hampstead Town Hall (on Haverstock Hill,north of Budgens)

Sunday 10 April 4 - 5 p.m. at the Swiss Cottage Community Centre (near the Leisure Centre).

Easter Sunday Easter Egg hunt in Belsize Village 24 April
from 3 p.m so local children can meet each other. Please drop by
and say hello and bring a few small easter eggs.

Drop-In School Meetings
Come visit us on a Monday morning from 10-11 a.m. at Costa Coffee
on Haverstock Hill (north of Belsize Park tube station)
over the next few weeks.

See the SCHOOLS page for more backgound

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IMPORTANT SCHOOLS UPDATE March 2011

A FREE SCHOOL in Belsize Park

An application for a Free School in Belsize Park has been submitted. To support the application, we need both a petition from local people who support the project, and a list of parents with children born in or after 2005 who would consider sending their children to the school. The school would be secular and follow the National Curriculum, considerably enhanced. If our application is accepted by the Department for Education, it would open in 2012, hopefully on Fitzjohn’s Avenue or elsewhere in Belsize (depending which site we get).

We ask all Belsize parents to support this vitalinitiative.

see belsizeparkprimary.org or send an email to

Harriet Nowell-Smith at hnowellsmith@gmail.com

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See the history of the schools campagn below

SCHOOLS UPDATE 4/2/10 from Dr Liz Taylor

We recently got news that Primrose Hill Primary School has agreed to create a one off  “bulge class” for all the children who started at the temporary Courthope Education Centre last September. The children will move to Primrose Hill at the start of the new school year in September and stay at Primrose Hill for the rest of their primary schooling.

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Linda Grove and Rachael Guan have set up an online petition to
support the campaign - Sign the petition for a new school - HERE

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Of course, this only helps one class of children. For the children due to start reception this September we understand that Camden Council is trying to persuade another primary school to create a second bulge class. If nothing is agreed by the end of the summer, then we envisage any unplaced children (children without a suitable school offer) will be offered a place at Courthope Education Centre.
 
It was also announced yesterday that the governing body at St Paul’s CE primary school has agreed to consider permanent expansion of the school from one form of entry (30 children per year group) to 2 forms of entry (60 children per year group). Parents and staff are being asked for their views. The proposal is subject to a detailed feasibility study and the identification of funding. If the proposal goes ahead, extra places are likely to be available from September 2013. The school is also consulting on its admissions policy so that half the places the school offers would be on a community / distance criteria, and not require adherence to any faith. This would go some way to helping the local school place shortage.
 
But Camden Council admits that even if the expansion of St Paul’s goes ahead, the additional places are unlikely to meet future demand in the north-west of Camden. They continue to investigate sites in the north-west of the borough as possible locations for a new primary school. We will push hard for this to continue to fruition, focusing on the area of need in the NW3 area.

Other long-term plans include expansion of Emmanuel CE primary school by 15 children per year. Camden's aim is to make these places available in September 2012. Ten of the 30 places will be offered on distance criteria rather than faith.
 
Camden Council also managed to secure £1 million from the Government from a pot of money made available to Councils with primary school place shortages. Camden freely admit that the campaign run by local parents and ward councillors was vital to getting this money. So thank you everyone for supporting the campaign. £1 million will not buy a new school, but it's a start. Alexis Rowell, LD Councillor for Belsize ward wrote this about the campaign:
 

It goes without saying that if parents, grandparents and ward councillors hadn’t fought a vigorous and varied campaign, we would not have won the temporary school in Courthope Road, we would not have given £1m by the government, we would not have got the bulge class at Primrose Hill School, Camden would not be looking to site a second bulge class somewhere, and we would not be in negotiations for a new primary school site. So well done us, I say. In the words of the anthropologist, Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
 

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Update Camden Primary Schools 22/9/09

From Dr Liz Taylor.

At the end of July, Camden Council confirmed that they would open a temporary education centre (it can't be called a school for legal reasons) to provide primary school places for up to 60 reception age Camden children without appropriate school offers.

As of September 11th, 47 local four and five year old children have accepted places at Camden Courthope Education Centre.

This followed vigorous campaigning from local parents, residents and ward councillors.

Whilst local parents are delighted that Camden has finally recognised the serious deficit of local community school places in NW3/6, the campaign has to continue.

The "school" is in the wrong location (the school black hole lies further to the west) and the places are temporary. Permanent local school places need to be found to transfer these children to.

The latest population projections show that the pressure on primary school places locally will get worse over the next few years, with an extra 2 to 3 classes needed in north-west Camden.

Our campaign will continue to press for a new local community school or extra school places locally.

If you are interested in the campaign, every extra voice helps!
Please email Dr Liz Taylor: newbelsizeprimary@hotmail.com

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THE PROBLEM: Belsize is a black hole for primary school provision. Parents looking for a state-funded non-faith school face a stark choice, pay, drive to the other end of Camden, pretend to be religious or move away. Belsize has no community primary school, nor any nearby that our children can get in to. This is unacceptable.

Dr. Liz Taylor, founder of this campaign, is a local mum who started looking into primary schools for her son in September 2008 and was horrified to find out the problems for Belsize and Camden residents. She thought she was alone until she started talking to other parents about the issue.

She has had extensive help from local Lib-Dem councillor, Alexis Rowel

Scroll down for the history of this campaign

UPDATE 24/8/09 from Coucillor Alexis Rowell

Camden find classrooms in Courthope Road

Plans to place 30 primary school children at the Courthope Road site in September and a further 30 in January are progressing well. There is already a fledgling PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) and a uniform. Meanwhile the council has been doing a lot of work to prepare the building which is very encouraging. Camden has also applied for extra money for new primary school places, either on a new site or at existing schools.

It looked like the funding formula recently released by the government would defeat us because it was based on the whole of Camden, but Schools Secretary Ed Balls recently wrote to me and others to say we could apply as an exception because the Belsize area is a black hole in terms of primary school places. AR 24/8/09.

REMEMBER WE STILL NEED A NEW SCHOOL IN BELSIZE
The campaign for a long term solution to provide adequate
local school places in North-West Camden will continue.

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NEW CAMPAIGN - KEEP RELIGION OUT OF SCHOOLS

Camden's education is dominated by Christian Primary Schools
Non-religous parents, Jewish, Muslim and parents of other faiths are discriminated against by the exclusion policies of local religious schools.

They take our tax money as funding, yet outrageously refuse pupils who are not baptised or have no letter from a vicar. Let Camden and the Government know how unfair this is.

Apart from Labour's blind devotion to Faith Schools, the Conservatives are also saying that they want to expand Faith Schooling. The blatant vote-chasing is disgusting and flies in the face of the facts that religious observance is falling and that Britain is more and more a secular nation.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE:
Email to Secretary of State Ed Balls NOW - HERE
Email Conservative Shadow Minister Michael Gove - HERE

More info at National Secular Society (NSS) schools page HERE

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NEWS UPDATE July 09 - from Camden

THIS WAS CONFIRMED

Consultation on the provision of temporary school places for reception age children who are without a school place
 
• The council is proposing to lease and adapt existing school classrooms in Courthope Road, NW3, for a 2 year period. The building can provide places for a maximum of 90 children and meets the required standards for school classrooms.

• Camden will employ a teacher-in-charge to oversee the provision. There will be a maximum of 30 children per class. Each class of 30 or less will have a suitably qualified teacher plus a nursery nurse or teaching assistant. Camden will monitor and quality-assure the standard of teaching and learning.

• Children will be transferred from the temporary provision into primary school places.
 
Please note that Camden must consult upon this option and a report will go to the executive on 22 July for consideration.
 
Negotiations are continuing with several primary schools local to the NW3 area with a view to providing an extra classroom from Sept 2010.
 

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Actress Phyllida Law supports the Schools Campaign

Photo shows Phyllida as the Wicked Witch of West Hampstead and campaign photographer Linda Grove as the Belsize Village clown.

To keep up the campaign profile (for local school places for this years children, and a new school in the future), Phyllida Law, a local actress and celebrity supported our campaign by taking part in a photoshoot outside her house. About 20 children turned up (with their parents) and members of the press.

Phyllida is the star of many television series and films and is the mother of Emma Thompson. Ms Law is well known to local children as she dresses up as a witch on halloween for trick and treaters.

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'BELSIZE NEEDS A PRIMARY SCHOOL' THE CAMPAIGN

Camden is failing the children of Belsize, more children are unplaced in Belsize Ward than anywhere else in Camden and local children are being offered school places up to70 mins walk away! Totally ridiculous!

CALL TO ACTION - please email everyone on the list
you will find on the schools page

Meeting with Glenda Jackson, MP (pic by Polly Hancock Ham & High)
Thanks to all those who turned up on a wet Saturday morning to see Glenda Jackson in her surgery at Swiss Cottage Community centre. She promised to talk to the Minister and the Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families about the problems in Camden.

What you can do!

CALL TO ACTION - email everyone on the list on the schools page
Write to MP Glenda Jackson and tell her you support the campaign, even better if you have your own story as to why your child cannot get into a local state primary school. Also, if as I do, you disagree with the Government's Faith Schools policy and the stranglehold religious schools have on our area, please state that strongly.

Email GLENDA HERE

Write a letter to the Ham & High: email them HERE

CAMPAIGN POSTERS - DOWNLOAD HERE
Design by Jeremy Sweet. Photo Linda Grove

Protest against Faith schools
Nearly all the parents in this campaign, protest at the exclusion policies of local COE and Catholic schools, who take our tax money as funding, yet outrageously refuse pupils who are not baptised! This is not necessarily Camden's fault, more that of Blair and the Labour government's inexplicable commitment to faith schools.

Protest to Glenda and join the NSS

The National Secular Society (NSS) schools page is HERE

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ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
Please mail everyone below, outlining your concerns about primary schools in the area. This keeps the issue firmly in the minds of those with the power to make a change.

Please send a blind copy (BCC) to liz@belsizevillage.co.uk, so she can see what kind of issues are important to you.

Glenda Jackson, MP for Hampstead and Highgate:
(soon to been Hampstead and Kilburn):
jacksong@parliament.uk

Ann Baxter and Richard Lewin of Camden Council:
(Director & Assistant Director for Children Schools and Families)
ann.baxter@camden.gov.uk
richard.lewin@camden.gov.uk

Councillors responsible for Children Schools and Families:
andrew.mennear@camden.gov.uk
janet.grauberg@camden.gov.uk

Ward Councillors:
Please find your local ward councillor on the Camden website (www.camden.gov.uk) and mail or speak to them about the issue.

Write a letter to the Ham & High: email them HERE

CAMPAIGN POSTERS - DOWNLOAD HERE
Design by Jeremy Sweet. Photo Linda Grove

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NEWS UPDATE 29/6/09 from Liz Taylor

A working group of parents met with Camden Council for a third time on June 23rd.

As of 23rd June, 113 Camden children were without a school place for September, with only 14 school places left in the whole of Camden to offer them. This means that Camden is short of 99 reception age places for this year. The problem is worst in Belsize, Frognal and Fitzjohns, Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead wards (a total of 65 children unplaced) with Kilburn being another "black hole" (17 unplaced).

Parents at the meeting were angry that Camden is taking so long to provide a solution, when their own figures predicted at least an extra class of children would come of school age this year in the area, compared with 2008. Parents suggested that school places should be allocated much earlier in the year in future to give more time for any problems to be sorted out.

Camden informed parents that they are still actively pursuing the possibility of temporary classrooms with two local state schools, but could not tell us when negotiations would be complete. Parents found this lack of progress disheartening. The Council seems to have made little progress with alternative options such as finding spare land to put a temporary classroom on (for example, on a private school site) or hiring spare rooms (for example in a Community centre or private school) and running them as an outpost of a local state primary. They are now actively investigating these options.

Parents at the meeting were particularly angry that a Camden Press Officer had denied reports that parents had been advised to look at out-of-borough schools in Islington and Westminster, when many parents have appeal letters from the council advising just that.

We will keep up the pressure. To this end, a local celebrity has agreed to support our campaign. We are planning a photo with her and as many parents and children as we can get! Please put the date in your diary ***Saturday 4th July 10.45 am in West Hampstead*** I will send an email later in the week to confirm the address.

Best wishes Liz Taylor - m:07968 042553

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NEWS UPDATE 26/6/09 from Councillor Alexis Rowell

I regret to announce that, despite an excellent campaign by parents, the council has not yet found a short-term solution to the problem of primary school places in Belsize. There are currently 99 primary age children in Camden without a place for September. 80% of them are in Belsize and the surrounding area. Council officers are now talking actively to two state funded schools and one private school about placing temporary classrooms on their sites. Council officers say they’re doing all they can. But we – parents and ward councillors – want them to explore other options such as setting up satellite classes in non-school premises or doing what Essex has done – giving parents money to set up collective home schooling solutions HERE. At the latest meeting between parents, ward councillors and officers emotions have run high with many parents close to tears.

What’s really frustrating is that this is not a London problem as officers have suggested. We know that because a resourceful parent rang round local authorities and discovered that this is actually a Camden problem. It’s happening because the council messed up its place planning strategy last year. That strategy recommended adding half a class to Emmanuel School in Fortune Green and a new school in Kings Cross. I’ve been telling them for three years that the problem is centred here in Belsize. In previous years the problem “went away” because parents found their own solutions – they paid, they discovered religion or they moved. This time round the campaign is too strong to ignore and the council is being forced to listen. But listening is not enough. We need a solution and fast.

You can help by emailing the Executive Member for Schools, Cllr Andrew Mennear –andrew.mennear@camden.gov.uk– and asking him what he’s doing to rectify his department’s mistakes.

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UPDATE 19/6/09 from Liz Taylor

Dear All

As promised, an update following the meeting with the Council on Wednesday night.

The meeting was Chaired by Sarah Bourne, Head of Property and Contracts at Camden Council, as the Assistant Director for Children Schools and Families (CSF), Richard Lewin, was recouperating following an operation.

The Department for CSF confirmed that they were "talking to" five schools in north/ north west Camden about the possibilty of having temporary classroom/s installed for September.One of these five schools is a faith school. Officers wouldn't reveal the names of the schools because they don’t want to scare the schools off before negotations have been completed.

The Council estimate that 2-3 temporary classrooms of 30 children will be needed. The order for the classrooms needs to be placed with the next 2 weeks, even if the sites have not been confirmed. The Council hopes to be able to release the names of the sites when the working group meets again on 23rd June.

The Council have taken on extra staff to address the problem and have begun work on the planning application for the temporary classrooms which need to go in by the end of June.

In the event of state primary school negotiations failing, some thinking has been done by the Council on Plan B – non-state school sites – and Plan C – non-school sites – but no discussions with third parties have been confirmed.

Many of the questions asked at the previous working group meeting remain unanswered. Of particular concern to all is how any new places in temporary classes would be allocated, if indeed this comes to fruition.

From a data perspective, as of 5th June, 127 children remained "unplaced" with 27 school vacancies available (16 in faith schools, 11 in community schools). A further 65 places have been offered but not yet accepted by parents. Richard Lewin said that he did not think that all these places would become available and did not think that they would "solve the problem". I believe that the cut off date for acceptance of these 65 places is 22nd June.

Meeting with Glenda Jackson, MP

Many thanks to all those who turned up on a very wet Saturday morning to see Glenda Jackson in her surgery at Swiss Cottage Community centre (see this weeks Ham and High). She promised to talk to the Minister for CSF and the Secretary of State for CSF about the problems in Camden.


UPDATE 8/6/09 - Camden New Journal Story - HERE

Children living in Belsize are being offered places as far away as Brecknock School - on the Islington border beyond Kentish Town. This is course rather nuts and defeats any idea of local schooling.

3/6/09. In a demonstration of the distances involved, Liz Taylor and other local mothers walked their children to Brecknock School with the Camden New Journal and the BBC. It took 1 hour 10 minutes (excluding stops for wiping noses, rubbing banged knees, snacks etc) and the kids had to be carried a lot.

It took even longer to get home as they waited 20 minutes for a bus to arrive. Exhausting! Twice a day, everyday?!

Pictures are by local photographer Linda Grove, who is documenting the campaign. SEE LINDA'S PHOTO GALLERY OF THE WALK HERE

Unlike the private school mothers in their 4x4s (true cliche) we have real children living in Belsize who want to walk to school. The campaign continues, to get Camden to provide temporary places for 2009 and a new local school for 2010/2011

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North West Camden Primary School Place Campaign

UPDATE - 27/5/09 from Dr. Liz Taylor

Dear All

Sorry for the delay in updating you all on my perspective of what is happening about the severe lack of local primary school places in north-west Camden.

A group of parents met with Camden Council last Wednesday to discuss the formation and remit of a working group to look at the short and long term problems of primary school provision locally and possible solutions in the long and short term. Thank you to all those of you who attend this meeting, which was quite frustrating at times.

The Council are asking all Camden primary schools (community and faith schools) if they have space for temporary classrooms. They have agreed to feed back the results of this investigation on Wednesday 10th June. Richard Lewin, the Assistant Director for Children, Schools and Families confirmed that IF any extra classrooms were put in place, then the current admission arrangements would apply i.e. distance or faith depending on the site of the extra classrooms.

We pressed hard for other solutions to be looked at as well (as a PLAN B), for example hiring playground or classroom space at a private school and running it as an annexe to a local state primary school. But the Council seem reluctant to do this, stating that their limited resources were concentrated on looking for potential solutions in state schools.

Surprisingly, there seems to have been no tracking of children without school spaces in the past (to find out where the children without offers disappear to) and no coherent way of checking how many children will be entering the system in the next few years (and then making plans that reflect this).

As for the long term, Richard Lewin said the case needed to be made to central government for a new school based on school roll projections and that there were early indications that this was changing ie more children were entering the equation. He said his department needed to analyse those figures in greater detail. He promised to bring a paper back to the 10 June meeting that would explain exactly the process for setting up a new school (although he pointed out that the government changes the rules all the time) and to give us a date for when their analysis of the school roll projection figures would be complete.

I feel that for those of us without school spaces for our children in September/January, this process seems too slow and so late in the year to be having these discussions. Now, it is more important than ever that we all keep up the pressure on the Council to take fast and appropriate action to find local school spaces for our children. I believe that if we act together and make enough coherent, organised noise about this poor piece of planning, then we will be able to make a difference. The Secretary of State replied to an email i sent saying that "the local authority must review school place provision regularly, monitor the quality of provision and seek feedback from parents on their satisfaction". I think we need to make it very clear to Camden that we are NOT satisfied.

I will email again soon if i have more information. In the meanwhile, do send me any ideas for action that you feel we should take, either as a group or as individuals, to highlight our concerns to the council.

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UPDATE 18/5/09

'BELSIZE NEEDS A PRIMARY SCHOOL' PROTEST MEETING on 14th May was, a HUGE SUCCESS with over 100 people attending.

Letter from Liz 18/5/09

It was overwhelming to see the number of you who turned up to Thursday nights meeting with Camden Council. Thank you for making the time to come along - as a parent I know what a juggling act it can be to get to meetings, especially at short notice and at such an emotional and stressful time for many of us. I think we showed Camden Council the size of the problem locally and the strength of feeling that something must be done.

For those of you who don't know how the meeting came about i've added a "history section" at the bottom of this email. I hope it helps explain the background to things. There are also some links to campaign articles.

As the presentation by the Council showed, there is an acute lack of local reception places in North West Camden. In Belsize ward, which has the biggest issue, 34 children were made no offers at all (25% of the total made no offer in Camden). In Belsize and neighbouring wards 87 children in total were made no offer (65% of those made no offer in Camden).

Here are the figures:

Children with no school offers in wards surrounding Belsize (in brackets number with none of their choices ie they were allocated a school they didn't choose):

Belsize 34 (37)
Swiss Cottage 20 (20)
Frognal and Fitzjohns 18 (18)
West Hampstead 11 (12)
Hampstead Town 3 (3)
Haverstock 0 (7)
Gospel Oak 1 (9)
Camden Town with Primrose Hill 0 (8)

Total number children with no offers in Belsize and neighbouring wards = 87 (114 in total got none of their choices). Other wards eg Fortune Green and Kilburn also have problems

The work is only just beginning. The Council has agreed to start a working group with parents to investigate short and long term solutions for our children. The first meeting to set up the group will be this Wednesday evening at 7pm. We need to keep the momentum going as September is not that far away.

I now need help from more parents if we are to move things forward and get local school spaces for our children. Please get in touch if you have time and energy to spare. The kind of things that would be helpful are:

1. someone to help organise a media campaign - this might be arranging for an article each week in the local papers and trying to get some national interest
2. someone who can co-ordinate a mass email/ letter sending eg to Glenda Jackson (MP for Hampstead and Highgate), The Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families (Ed Balls) and the Director for CSF for Camden (Ann Baxter)
3. someone to try and get local celebrities involved/ commenting in the local press
4. admin support
5. Research - what are the school buildings regulations and what sites/ buildings does Camden own locally?

Any other ideas/ offers of help welcome. It would also be helpful if anyone has ideas about short and long term solutions to get them down on paper as soon as possible - do email me.

I'm sure that the Council were surprised by the turnout. There is strength in numbers and we must continue to put pressure on Camden Council to provide suitable, local school spaces for our children this September and a longer term solution for the area.

Best wishes Liz m:07968 042553

Articles about the campaign:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8047522.stm

History
As some of you may not know who i am and how i became involved in all this, I thought I'd start with a bit of background information. My name is Liz and I'm a single working Mum living in NW3. I work for the NHS as a GP. In September last year I phoned up Camden Council to check that we were still in the (variable) catchment area for some of my closest schools - and I found out that we weren't. Horrified, I embarked on a project to find out which local school I could get my son into and to work out what was was going on with primary school planning in the area. I visited 13 of my closest schools to look around. I spoke to all my friends, acquaintances and generally anyone who'd tell me anything about local schooling. I discovered a black hole (actually several) for primary school provision in the NW3/6 area, which was particularly acute for those wanting or needing a local state community school, and which was not a new issue.

I then started emailing the Council and local ward councilors asking for information and help. Alexis Rowell (LD Councilor for Belsize ward) and the newly elected LD Councilor, Tom Simon, listened to what I said and we started a campaign. We collected nearly 250 signatures from local residents calling for a new local community primary school for Belsize to serve Belsize and surrounding wards. There were articles in the Ham and High and Camden New Journal.

A group of local residents presented the petition to the Mayor of Camden at a Council meeting on April 20th and I spoke to the full Council for 3 minutes about the problems I had uncovered (see webcast). Camden Council agreed to meet with local residents on May 14th to discuss the issue as a result of the petition and speech - perfect timing as the school results were due out on May 6th.

I wasn't totally surprised to receive a letter saying that my son had not been offered a place at any of 4 of his closest schools - the furthest just 0.63 miles away! I was however surprised to find the number of children in Camden made no offer at all (133) plus the 72 children made offers at schools they had not expressed a preference for (205 children in total). Only 5.6% of secondary school children in Camden received none of their choices - for primary children in Camden this figure is 14 % (and 38% for Belsize ward).

I asked the Council to invite all those in the locality to the meeting that had already been set up - and one hundred people turned up. Now the work continues.

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UPDATE 11/5/09 - 141 children with no school spaces

Camden Council have told me that there were approximately 204 children who applied to Camden schools that they were unable to make an offer of one of their preferred schools to. About 133 of these children live in Camden. The other 71 children live in neighbouring boroughs.

Apparently there were about 70 unallocated school places which will be offered to the 204 children without offers.

Even if these vacant places are suitable for those without an offer, this leaves a gap of 63 children in Camden with no school space and a total of 141 children from Camden and Camden borders who applied to Camden schools with no school space. This is 2 to 5 classes of children.

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REPORT CARD FOR THE TOWN HALL - April 20 2009

On Monday 20th April a group of parents and residents from Belsize ward presented our primary school petition to the Mayor at a full meeting of Camden Council.

Thank you to everyone who came along! If you were unable to make
it you can see a webcast of the presentation and speech at http://www.camden.ukcouncil.net/site/ under Full Council Meeting April 20th 2009 (Item 5 Petitions and deputations - we were the second deputation) and the text is also in this weeks

SEE: Camden New Journal comment section HERE

Councilor Andrew Mennear (Executive portfolio for schools for Camden) replied to the speech and said that he would like to meet with local parents and residents to explore the situation further. We hope that this meeting will be in mid-May (not April as he mentions in the webcast) and we will let you know as soon as the date is set. I hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend to share your concerns and ideas.

A big thank you to all of you who have sent emails about the particular problems you have faced or are facing in relation to primary schools locally.

Please keep these emails coming and do copy them to Councilor Mennear (andrew.mennear@camden.gov.uk) so that the Council can appreciate the size of the problem and the strength of feeling locally.

We hope to soon run a survey on the issues parents face prior to the forum meeting.

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CAMPAIGN ARTICLE ONE by Liz Taylor - March 2009

Belsize needs a primary school

Belsize is a unique community. The residents, shop keepers, coffee-makers and local counselors know each other by name. We are working together to recycle more, walk more and get rid of plastic bags. Lights are put up in the square in December and we have our own summer festival.

But there is a huge gap in our community. Belsize does not have a community primary school. In September 2008, fourteen Belsize children (age 4) had no reception class place (for NW3 as a whole this number was 29).

One of the main issues is that the closest community schools that are in walking distance accept only those children living closest to them (last year Fitzjohns took children living up to 0.28 miles away, Fleet 0.19 miles, New End 0.63 miles). Belsize ends up being a “black hole” for state primary education.

In the past, I think that the council has relied on the “problem” going away – as desperate parents in Belsize either move, go private or home school rather than accepting places at schools a 50 minute journey away or wherever there are “left over” places. It also relies on it’s statutory responsibility to provide a place once a child turns five, rather than what it provides for every other child in Camden (a place in the school year that a child turns five). I suspect that it has also relied on parents not knowing others in the same situation.

Ann Baxter, the director for children schools and families at Camden council has admitted that there is a problem for parents in Belsize.

Belsize residents now want a commitment that something will be done to address the issue for our children. Our new LD councilor Tom Simon was elected in April 2009 with a mandate to campaign for a new primary school for Belsize. Many local residents have signed a petition which we are going to present to the Mayor at Camden Town Hall in Judd Street WC1H 9JE on Monday April 20th at 7pm. Please come along and show your support.

We are planning a meeting (likely date May 10th) and would also like to collect case studies of your experiences of primary school places in Belsize. Please email Liz for more information.

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ARTICLE TWO by Alexis Rowell - March 2009

Parents looking for a state-funded non-faith school face a stark choice - pay, drive to the other end of Camden, pretend to be religious or move away, says ward councilor Alexis Rowell

Belsize has no community primary school, nor any nearby that our children can get in to.

We have some private primary schools if you can afford to pay and we have three faith schools just outside Belsize if you are a practicing Christian or if, as many parents feel obliged to do, you pretend to be a practicing Christian.

But if you want to send your child to a state-funded non-religious school anywhere near Belsize, or if you try to get them into one of three faith schools on distance criteria - well, you can just forget it. Or move.

The four nearest state-funded non-religious schools are New End (which admitted one child from Belsize on distance criteria this year), Fitzjohn's (which admitted none), Fleet (none again) and Primrose Hill (which only admitted Belsize children living south of Fellows Road).

Forty-two per cent of all primary places in Camden are in faith schools. I personally prefer the French system where religion is a private matter separated from state and schooling.

What shocks me about our system is that faith schools are not required to publish the details of exactly how they admit children.

Community schools have to publish data on distance criteria so that parents can make rational choices about which schools they are likely to get their children into. But religious schools don't have to do this. Why?

At full council recently, I asked the Conservative executive member for schools to consider three changes:

Amend the places planning criteria so that, for example, Belsize parents are no longer offered places in schools like Brecknock which are so far away they are impossible to reach on foot, by bike or on public transport.

Publish data for religious schools showing the criteria under which children were admitted or at least the number that were admitted on distance criteria.

Increase the number of choices parents are allowed from four to six as in Westminster.

I would love to have children one day and I would love to be able to walk to school with them.

But at the moment, Belsize residents like me are facing a stark choice - pay, drive to the other end of Camden, pretend to be a practicing Christian or leave Belsize.

We need a new community primary school.

This article by Lib-Dem Belsize Ward Councilor Alexis Rowell, was taken from the Ham & High website

Belsize Lib-Dems website - HERE