Public Meeting of 18 January 2012
This meeting was held at 8pm, Wednesday 18 January 2012 at St. Peter’s School, Church Lane, Mill End, Rickmansworth. Click here to see our press release.
The slides presented at the meeting are: 18 January 2012 Public Meeting slides
1. Hertfordshire County Council Admissions Consultation: To view and reply by 29 February 2012 to the Hertfordshire County Council admissions consultation and support an increase in secondary school preferences from 3 to 4 preferences, click here. For more detail, see 4. below.
2. Three Rivers District Council School Site Consultation: To view from 23 January and reply by 5 March 2012 to the Three Rivers District Council consultation on possible secondary school sites, click here. Click on the ’Site Allocations DPD Consultation’ and answer the questions raised by the ‘Education Sites’ section of the document. To view the detailed Hertfordshire County Council reports on each site submitted to Three Rivers District Council, click here. For more detail, especially about WD3 SAG’s view on sites, see 5. below.
3. Reach Learning: To register your interest in sending your child to the Reach Learning Free School in support of our application to the Department for Education to open the school in September 2013, click here.
For more information about “free” schools, click here.
Unanswered question: A question was raised which no Council attendee could answer: “Why can’t proposed Site A (field between M25 spur and Long Lane) be accessed from the existing roundabout?”. Hertfordshire County Council has subsequently confirmed that Highways Department policy is to NOT provide new access onto principal roads if an alternative access exists (i.e. the proposed Long Lane access) to this site or a suitable alternative site. Indeed, this Long Lane access to Site A is why the Highways Department will not consider the change to the roundabout proposed by Three Rivers District Council to make Site B (Froghall Farm) more attractive.
4. Detailed notes relating to 1. above (Hertfordshire County Council Admissions Consultation):
4.1 Proposal 1 – Allowing an increase in preferences from three to four: As stated at the meeting, we urge you to agree to this proposal and use your own words to convey the following additional message: “I agree to the suggested increase in preferences from 3 to 4, however do not agree that 4 preferences are a sufficient number of parental choices when neighbouring authorities have 6 preferences. In South West Herts, the secondary application process is partially selective and over-subscribed, therefore 6 preferences are needed to give parents the same chance of securing a ranked school as those in surrounding areas. Over the past 4 years, children in Watford and Three Rivers have registered the lowest number of ranked allocations in Hertfordshire. Schools are hugely over-subscribed, and whilst it is recognised that a fourth preference would allow for a “safety net” preference, without 6 preferences families in South West Herts will continue to be discriminated against by their Local Authority.”
4.2 Proposal 3 a and b – Children of staff given priority: As stated at the meeting, this is a subject about which you need to form your own view; schools not under Hertfordshire County Council’s control have stated that they intend to introduce this admissions criterion. However, if you agree with this proposal, we would urge you to at least consider agreeing with ii) After children for whom it is the nearest school and iv) Teaching staff employed for more than 2 years and v) Staff where there is a demonstrable skills shortage. This way, children of only TEACHING staff employed for more than 2 years in areas of DEMONSTRABLE skills shortages will get priority for their children, but less priority than children for whom it is the nearest school. You may wish to use your own words to convey ths message in the comments areas provided.”
4.3 If you disagree with Watford Grammar Schools’ desire to allow siblings of a child attending one of their schools to get priority entry to the other school because it further constrains admissions options for the wider local community (e.g. a boy wanting to enter the Boys’ school gets priority because his sister already attends the Girls’ school), then you need to write directly to the schools to state your disagreement (Watford Grammar School for Boys, Rickmansworth Road, Watford, WD18 7JF or email: office@watfordboys.herts.sch.uk, and Watford Grammar School for Girls, Ladys Close, Watford, WD18 0AE or email: admin@watfordgirls.herts.sch.uk).
5. Detailed notes relating to 2. above (Three Rivers District Council’s School Site Consultation):
The three proposed secondary school sites are:
a) Mill End/Maple Cross: Land east of A405 (North Orbital)/north of A412.
b) Mill End/Maple Cross: Froghall Farm and adjoining land.
c) Croxley Green: Land north–east of Baldwins Lane.
Please note that the Education experts, Hertfordshire County Council, is seeking TWO sites (one on Croxley and one in Mill End) and only recommends that a successful school will be able to operate on sites a) and c). For your information only, it is the opinion of the WD3 SAG that the Three Rivers District Council’s recommendation to build a school on Site b) ignores the weaknesses of that site highlighted by the education and highways experts, and the abnormally higher cost to the tax-payer of building on Site b).
Based on the detailed Hertfordshire County Council technical studies (see link above), our concerns about whether a successful school can be operated at Three Rivers’ recommended site include:
1. The playing fields would have to be located remote from the school buildings – this would result in a security and child safety problem for staff.
2. The school buildings may not be possible because the building zone would be limited by development to the existing roundabout. A big enough school may not be possible. Irrespective of Three River’s claims, it is the Highways Department’s policy to not consider alternatives to the re-development/move of this roundabout to facilitate the school’s entrance as long as another possible school site exists.
3. Abnormal costs will be incurred due amongst others things to the re-development/move of the existing roundabout, resolution of purchase of the site from the at least 5 land owners, removal of a raised concrete platform on the playing field part of the site, resolution of possible soil decontamination, and resolution of building on a former landfill site.
