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Find out about new Southwater school bid
A CHAT over coffee is being offered to prospective parents hoping to find out about the possibility of a new secondary school in Southwater.
Horsham Churches Together has organised a series of coffee mornings next week so that parents or carers can learn the facts first hand and make an informed decision about their children’s future education.
Children are welcome at the meetings from 9am to 11am at:
* The Council Chamber, Beeson House, Lintot Square, on Monday.
* Easteds Barn, Easteds Lane, on Tuesday.
* The Council Chamber, Beeson House, Lintot Square, on Wednesday.
* The Council Chamber, Beeson House, Lintot Square, on Thursday.
This stage of the Free School process is about establishing if parents would like a school and if there is a need for one.
West Sussex County Council has stated there is and that action is needed now.
If the Department for Education agrees this application should go to the next stage, detailed consultation will follow.
Parents of children now in years three and four must indicate an intent to take up 50 per cent of the places for the year seven intake in 2014 and 2015.
It they do, an application for the school can be submitted to the Department for Education, otherwise it cannot.
The new secondary Free School would be called The Oasis Southwater Community School and would cost about £25million to build.
It would have a Christian ethos, its own chaplaincy and provide a community hub.
Children aged 11 to 16 years would be catered for with six forms of entry, taking 180 pupils a year, although parents’ views are being considered about a sixth form.
Horsham Churches Together and education provider Oasis Community Learning need to submit a bid by February 24 and year seven students could be using the school in September 2014.
The school would be primarily for Southwater children but would have an open admissions policy and be inclusive of pupils from all backgrounds.
One possible site has been identified by Berkeley Homes and another option has to be put forward for the government to decide on the location if the bid is successful.
Oasis Community Learning has delivered 14 schools to date.
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Comments
There are 19 comments to this article
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andrewedmondson
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 12:03 AMJust returned from the public consultation. I hope West County Times covered it. The room was packed. After a presentation from HCT and Oasis, questions and comments were invited. Every one of them was critical. What a grubbing the two speakers got. I managed to ask the following question. "Why are you proposing a Christian school rather than a fully inclusive community school, especially when less than 5% of people attend church monthly? Only 9% of Head teachers want more faith schools. 64% of the public don’t want any state-funded religious schools because they discriminate against a large proportion of children. For example, 65% of teenagers are non-religious , and others have different religious beliefs. How can they feel included in a school that prioritises Christian beliefs?" The Oasis speaker said that this was not a Christian school but a community school. When asked what the Christian ethos of the school was, he said that he believed in Jesus, who was the most inclusive man who ever lived. There was a deathly silence as he made more claims about the role of Jesus. Later, another person queried statements about Jesus on the Oasis website. I doubt anyone present really believed that these religious organisations (HCT and Oasis) would be interested in running a non-religious community school. The thrust of the comments made were that this school was being foisted on the residents of Southwater, who don't want it. The people who do want it are HCT and Oasis. If anyone doubts the nature of the academies run by Oasis, just read this article: http:www.secularism.org.ukstevechalkesfaithacademiesthecla.html And this one about their Salford "non-faith" academy: http:www.salfordstar.comarticle.asp?id=474 Religious organisations run religious schools. Period.
eholding
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:33 PMThe desire for a school in southwater has been articulated for many years now, and for that reason was included in the Southwater Parish Plan. However, it is only now that with the extra housing development in horsham district, that the LEA agrees that there is now a 'need' for a school, at the same time as there is a shortfall in LEA capital funding. As was underlined by a recent debate on Radio 4 re the decision in the mid 1970s to end the policy of sending state-funded pupils to independent schools, the free school concept is not that far off earlier government policies - plus ca change! Oasis have some great approaches for developing academic children (fast-tracking the able) and for supporting those who need it most (primary school teacher to ensure year 7s can access the secondary school curriculum), and if, as I hope, the project does get to progress to the next stage, I look forward to meeting current parents of Oasis-schooled children and visiting their Enfield site.
yellowgopher
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:09 PMOf course the actual planning of a free school would be done by Oasis and other experts including, I would hope, local schools and the local authority. HCT facilitate the project, they don't plan the actual school!
RH12David
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 07:46 PMWell done to the three County Times letter writers this week, each raising important points. This introduces a bit a balance to the paper's uncritical lapdog pandering to the HCT agenda. The spokespersons for HCT are well known for running other, less contentious 'mission'-oriented services on behalf of HCT. They are well-meaning people but, on the basis of their comments, nothing convinces me that HCT is competent to plan a free school.
yellowgopher
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 03:30 PMAndrewedmondson, you are right. I should clarify that Faith schools in their latest incarnation can have their own admissions policy and can discriminate. Older faith schools (I have to admit I don't tend to call them faith schools but I see that your point) can or can't depending on their status - aided etc. However, my point stands, Southwater Free School will not discriminate. It will not be a faith school. We can argue the religious point until the cows come home but I don't think we need to be so scared that Southwater Free School will end up as a faith school. The community will work together to make sure it doesn't and it remains open to all from all backgrounds.
andrewedmondson
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:07 PMYellowgopher, you are wrong. Please check your facts before making posts. Some faith schools dscriminate in admissions, some do not. I live in the village of Balcombe. We have just one school, which is a C of E primary school. They do not discriminate in admissions. It is obvious that a school started up by a religious organisation will promote that religion. Why else would they bother? The only way to avoid vested interest groups imposing their agenda is to make all school community schools. Regarding academies, Labour's aim was to replace failing schools with brand new buildings and senior staff. The Conservatives have abused this by allowing any school to convert. As you say, this means the end of local authority schools in the not too distant future. In other words, publicly funded independent schools all run along different lines. Chaos. It is a frightening prospect that within the next 5 years the majority of schools could be independent religious schools, free to discriminate in admissions, staffing, curriculum, collective worship, sex and relationiships education, etc.
yellowgopher
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:44 AMAndrewedmondson, what I am trying to state (and, yes, I admit what I wrote should have been clearer) is that a faith school will have a restricted admissions policy as it is there to specifically serve a faith group. The free school in Southwater, if built, would have an open admissions policy; open to all in the community despite background or belief. There are many people who share your concerns about schools having too much control over their admissions and curriculum policies and being hijacked by specific interest groups (I share the same concerns) but I believe we can work to ensure this doesn't happen in the case of Southwater. I feel I should point out that any school, maintained, free or otherwise can always be influenced by a group of people who could direct the school in a way that people think inappropriate. That alone doesn't mean we shouldn't try and set up a new school. It means we need to be aware of potential problems and try and address them during the process. Lastly, no one is rushing this consultation; yes I would like to see a bid submitted by this year's deadline (imposed by government) - I feel there has been plenty of time - but even if this doesn't happen, at least the debate has been well and truly started now. RH12David, County has been looking a secondary school in Southwater for years but has made no progress. At this time, the only realistic method to develop a new school is via the free schools program (yes, it is political, but that's where the money is). County will not be building a new school for the foreseeable future (ask them if you don't believe me). County MAY extend existing schools but no one knows what effect this will have on them and there will be the ongoing argument about Southwater children not having a local school, having to take their turn behind Horsham children because they live further away... Like it or not, academies, free schools and the like are here to stay - Labour started the process and the Conservatives and LibDems have taken it to the next stage. There will bevery few or no more new maintained schools - the days of maintained schools are numbered. Eventually they will all be converted to academies (free schools by another name).
andrewedmondson
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:45 AMRH12David I agree with what you say, apart from your last comments on the religious nature of schools. A DFES government survey showed that the success of religious schools is due to selection, either through admissions policies or parental self-selection. There is no magic religious ingredient. Some religious parents may want their children to go to a religious school, to further the indoctrination of their children. But I imagine that most simply want their children to attend an inclusive good school. The fact that a religious school may be the best in the area means that they may want their children to go there, but not because it is religious. The more religious schools, the greater the divisions in society. Dividing children on any grounds is dangerous, as you so well described in the Ealing school.
RH12David
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:14 AMPossibly each contributor to this news story agrees that Southwater can make a strong claim for having a secondary school. If the need is proven, though, why hasn't the case been made before now? Why haven't the great and the good of Southwater, including its church leadership, been lobbyng the DfE and WSCC? I have variously seen figures saying that 500, 650, 750 and 1,000 secondary-age children are bussed out of Southwater each day. I wonder which figure is correct? Do HCT know? I doubt it. The 'case' so far, that has been made, is shambolic. I do think that if there is a clear need the starting point should be an appeal to the local authority. I agree with eholding that history can be an unreliable guide, but local authorities have been running schools for 110 years (1902 Education Act) and I am more inclined to have confidence in a democratic body than in the organisations in question here, who have, with unwarranted urgency, latched on to the free-school enthusiasm of a here-today and gone-tomorrow politician (M. Gove). The most prominent free school that is up and running offers a very questionable example: an ex-naval commander head teacher is running Toby Young's school in Ealing, where Latin is compulsory. Surprise, surprise, this school with an 'open' admissions policy (take note, yellowgopher), begun in an area where there was no existing shortage of school places, has turned into a pretty-much all-white school in a significantly black area of West London. What a dreadful message that sends to the community! It is the 'free' in free school that scares me: they can be hijacked by the eccentricities and ideologies of the patron(s). It is shocking, too, that schools with outside loos which have had their Building Schools for the Future projects cancelled are effectively paying for free schools. My conscience is troubled by this and I distance myself from HCT backing an overtly political and socially unjust policy. As for andrewedmondson, you are right on this matter, but for the wrong reasons. The legitimate, diocesan church schools in our community meet a clear need, complementing a successful Horsham comprehensive school system. No one attends these schools under duress and among their students are those of non-Christian faiths and those of no faith. It may be hard to understand why, even to a Christian, but they are astonishingly successful schools.You need to focus on your objections to this particular proposal and not alienate Horsham parents who use church schools.
eholding
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 11:24 PMAnyone considering sending their child to a new school, whether it is well established or brand-new, is taking a risk that the school is not right for him or her. Academic history is just that - history - and it only takes a change of head, and the calibre of a school can change dramatically and rapidly. A fellow parent's experiences, word of mouth, and attending open days at a particular school are useful reassurance to any parent anxious for their child to maximise his or her potential. BUT it's about time Southwater had a secondary school, provided it is not tied to a housing development. If a free school is the only route to secure a chunk of capital, so be it. I am not a Christian, in the sense that I am not christened, I rarely go to church; but I think a school with underlying Christian values is a positive not a negative. With the right leadership team, and a good catchment area with well-taught children from the Southwater primaries, why would a new school in Southwater not deliver as well as any school in Horsham?
andrewedmondson
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 11:24 PMYellowgopher, I'm afraid you are wrong again. Firstly, it might help to give the government term for a faith school. This is a school "with a religious character". Free Schools are very attractive to religious groups because they are able to discriminate on religious grounds in up to 50% of their intake, are able to religiously discriminate when employing all their staff, and can teach a biased curriculum in areas such as Religious Education, Collective Worship and Sex and Relationships Education. Many C of E schools do not openly discriminate in admissions. Many do. Some religious free schools discriminate, some don't. Free schools are independent of the local authority and so can choose to teach their own religious curriculum. Or they may choose to adopt the local authority RE syllabus. Imposing religious beliefs can be done in a variety of ways. Holding acts of collective worship in assemblies and at mealtimes is one way. Most secondary schools have abandoned this, despite it being the law. Youo can bet that the new Oasis school will be enthusiasticallyt "following the letter of the law". The very fact that this is described as a school with a Christian ethos will immediately make many pupils and staff feel excluded, e.g. the non-religious, those with other religious beliefs, gaylesbian, etc. I wonder how many religious symbols will be visible. And of course they will promote Christianity through biased relgious education. To say that all of this doesn't really matter and that all we want is a good school is to duck the issue. It is morally wrong to publicly fund religious groups to run schools. It is divisive too. If only Christian ethics wer simply "lookin up to the good example of Christ". The problem with Christian values is that they include some very nasty ones and others that are based on the supernatural. Not a very good basis for educatiing young people. Religion is in terminal decline, which is why religious organisations are bending over backwards to take over as many public services as possible. This is very unhealthy. What we need are public services run by secular organisations that do not discriminate against staff or clients in any way. Religious organisations simply cannot do this. If Southwater needs a new school that will be paid for by the public, let the local authority open a community school. There's no point in rushing. A new school will cost a lot of money and be around for a long time.
yellowgopher
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 10:36 PMAndrewedmonson, there is a fundimental difference between a faith school and a free school. A faith school will not have an open admissions policy - it will be there to serve a particular faith community and admissions criteria will be based around that. A free school will have a open admissions policy. I agree, however, that a free school can be set up and run by a faith organisation but that doesn't necessarily mean it will impose specific religious beliefs on those who attend. There are a lot of maintained Church of England schools in the country - people of all faiths attend these schools - parents base their decision on the quality of teaching first and foremost. You will have to take it from me that I am not religious, I am atheist, but a school that happens to have a Christian ethos doesn't scare me. In fact, I think it's no bad thing. RH12David, Oasis fund a lot of this, but HCT will be spending some money too - that's a fact. It's a community project and HCT have invested money in Southwater on community projects for years; I don't see much difference. However, you will have to speak to HCT for details of what they have spent on this project to date. Mac04, as I have previously stated, this project is not about developing a faith school. Yes, Oasis do state they are motivated by Christ and Christian ethics but I don't see that as a threat - to me it's like looking up to a person - fictional or real. As long as the example is good, who cares? This is a chance to get a secondary school in Southwater. The details of the constitution of the school can and will be discussed at the next phase. If that means ensuring the Trustee body has to be made up of a cross-section of the community, cannot be overly influenced by one particular group, by writing it into the constitution then that's the way it has to go - or the project fails.
mac04
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 01:40 PMA quote from the Oasis Community Learning website. "The work of Oasis Community Learning is motivated and inspired by the life, message and example of Christ". Southwater does need a good secondary school, but many parents will feel uncomfortable sending their kids to a faith school. Many will still travel into Horsham schools and so the needs of the Southwater residents cannot be met by this porposal.
RH12David
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 11:44 AMImportant questions must be asked of Horsham Churches together. Who is bankrolling their campaign for a free school? If their funding comes from member churches which are, in turn, funded by stewardship contributions, then I suggest that they are exceeding their understood mandate by leading this proposal. On this matter Horsham Churches Together does not speak for me, a worshipper at one of its member churches who makes monthly stewardship contributions. There has been no mention or discussion of this proposal in my church and I will not be alone, as a Horsham Christian, in opposing this half-baked plan for a free school. The free school notion is an overtly party political project. If I am unknowingly and indirectly funding this proposal then I will consider reducing a proportion of my stewardship offerings. Not in my name. It is interesting that the Anglican and Roman Catholic diocesan bodies have kept their distance from the Southwater plan. The generous funding available to free schools nationally comes partly from hundreds of schools having their Building Schools for the Future plans cancelled. That is shameful. In our locality the vagueness of the plans and the shambolic consultation threaten the equilibrium of Horsham's excellent secondary schools and the church schools of Crawley. If the case for a Southwater school is proven then all options should be on the table and pressure should be on WSCC to build a school and to plan it in a way that will have no detrimental impact on other schools.
andrewedmondson
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11:34 PMYellowgopher, I have to disagree with your definition of a Christian school, which is an example of a faith school. Here are a few definitions of "faith school", i.e. "religious school". MacMillan dictionary: a school, started or paid for by a religious group, that gives children a general education TheFreeDictionary: a school that provides a general education within a framework of a specific religious belief Wikipedia: a British school teaching a general curriculum but with a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation Faith schools can have open admissions or apply religious discrimination. Whatever the admissions policy, faith schools are designed to promote a particular religion. That is their fundamental purpose.
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