Local schools for local children

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Raised by: Helen Whately on 10 February 2009

The parents of Surbiton petition Kingston council to: - add places in local primary schools to ensure no Surbiton child starting school in 2009 has to travel for more than 30 minutes (on foot or by public transport) to get to school - adjust admissions policies for 2010 onwards to make schools take into account how far a child will have to travel if they don’t get offered a place at their nearest schools - add capacity in the local area for the long term to make sure that this problem doesn't keep happening every year

Petition Details

Petition title: Local schools for local children

Raised by: Helen Whately

Date raised: 10 February 2009

Corresponding issue: Education

Number of Signatures: 276

Petition Information

Every year some local children don’t get places at any of our nearby primary schools. This year the problem is worse than ever before. These children could face spending an hour a day, or even an hour and a half, in rush hour going to and from schools in other parts of the Borough. The best outcome for local children will be places in temporary ‘bulge’ classes in local schools – with the downside of overcrowding already busy playgrounds and facilities. There were already 7 extra ‘bulge’ classes last year. There simply aren’t enough local school places in this area, and in the Borough as a whole.

Frequently asked questions

• Q. Is this really about journey times and overcrowding, or are some parents just trying to avoid sending their children to schools that they don’t like?
  A. No! This year there are over 300 more applicants than places – there simply isn’t enough room in the Borough’s schools and in some areas parents have no chance of getting their children into any of the local schools no matter how good or bad.
• Q. The council is providing ‘bulge classes’, isn’t that going to solve the problem?
  A. Bulge classes are only a temporary solution, and with so many bulge classes in place (7 last year, possibly 10 or more this year), local schools are getting overcrowded. Even with the best efforts of the schools bulge classes inevitably disrupt routines, as well as increasing the number of siblings for future admissions.  
• Q. Who’s organising this campaign?
  A. This petition is being organised by a group of parents who live in Surbiton. Helen Whately, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, is providing administrative support.

Petition Progress:

This petition was presented at the Council meeting on 31 March together with a paper petition and has been referred to the Executive. This will be considered by the Executive on 21 April. The meeting is open to the public , starting at 7:30pm at the Guildhall. The agenda will be available from 9 April.

For Further information please contact Wendy Windmill, 020 8547 5020 e.mail: wendy.windmill@rbk.kingston.gov.uk .

The petition raises 2 issues: (i) numbers of school places, and (ii) the admissions criteria used to allocate available places.

Numbers - 1,878 applications were received by the deadline for September 2009 primary admissions for the 1,725 available places.  Not all of these applications will result in a child accepting the offer of a school place as some parents apply to schools in more than one authority area and some also apply to independent schools.

At the same stage in the process last year there were 1,824 applications with 1,718 pupils taking up a school place in September.

There are over 300 more applications than permanent school places, but 150 places were added on a  temporary basis in October and  it is planned to add up to a further 150 places for September 2009.

The need for further additional places, particularly in the Kingston and Surbiton areas has been identified and details of which schools will have the additional places will be published at the end of February in the local press and on the Council’s website.

All parents who have applied for a primary school place have received a letter from Patrick Leeson  the Strategic Director of Learning & Children’s Services  to reassure them that a school place will be available and explaining what the Council is doing.

From late April the Council will start a consultation process about where permanent additional places will be added for September 2010 onwards.

This will comprise:

• Firstly, detailed discussions with schools and stakeholders,
• Followed by a community consultation of an overall strategy for expansion, and
• Then a statutory consultation process as set out in Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) statutory guidance.

There are different requirements for the consultation around expansion of an existing school and establishing a new school.

A competition is required where a Local Authority wishes to establish a new school. This includes cases where a brand new school is required to meet an increase in the local population. The LA must identify the proposed school site for the new school although proposers may put forward proposals to establish the school on a different site.

Admissions  - Distance from home to school is a criteria for allocating places at an oversubscribed school. Each year the Primary Admissions Booklet publishes how places have been allocated at community schools under each criterion including the distance of the last child offered a place at any oversubscribed community school. This demonstrates how popular schools are based on parental preference and shows the furthest distance travelled to school.

Closing date for signatures 30 March 2009.

This petition has been submitted.