Education

School worries

Dec 4 2003
By Vicky Wilks

Streatham Post

CONCERNS were raised about the balance of sexes in Lambeth's schools and extra traffic at a meeting about a new secondary for West Norwood.

Parents, teachers and others involved in education packed Nettlefold Hall, Norwood, last Thursday.

The meeting had been called by Lambeth council in a bid to get people's opinions on what sort of school they wanted in Norwood.

The school is one of three new secondaries agreed by the Government for Lambeth, where there is a desperate shortage of secondary places --a whopping 58 per cent of the borough's 11 to 18-year-olds travel elsewhere for education.

A city academy is being built in Clapham, a second is planned for Brixton, and the money has been agreed for the Norwood school which could have up to 1,100 pupils including sixth-form students.

It is proposed the Norwood school be built on a 4.8-acre site in Elmcourt Road, which is home to Elm Court special school and an overspill from Kennington-based Michael Tippett special school.

Lambeth's education director, Phyllis Dunipace, told last Thursday night's meeting the council wants to see a mixed, non-religious, inclusive school for local children.

The headteacher of Norwood girls' school, Barbara Williams, pointed out there are already three nearby girls' schools and argued the new secondary should be a small school for boys.

She said: "The last thing we really need is more provision for girls.

"Someone, somewhere should think sensibly about the impact on other schools."

Education bosses say Elm Court school would be temporarily moved and then put back into a new building on the site but the future of the Michael Tippett students at the site is less certain.

The council says that school was only ever there on a temporary basis and it is working with it to find another site.

Concerns were also raised about extra traffic on busy Elm Court Road. Lambeth's education deputy, Councillor Gareth Compton, said: "The Elm Court site is the only site big enough. We accept there are problems with traffic and parking and we need to think creatively about how we deal with that."

Lambeth's head of education asset management, Kevin Donnelly, added: "I cannot think of another council-owned site in the borough of that size that can be made available."

Further consultation about the nature of the school is now due to take place.

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