Dorset County Council's Cabinet agreed this morning that :
a) the consultation on Primary schools should include only the option that retains both St George's and St Mark's (so St George's is officially safe)
b) that Officers should take further time (until the next Cabinet meeting on Jan 20th) to explore Secondary options in more detail and to consult with groups supporting both a twin-campus school and those supporting a single-site school.
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Well done Education Swanage.
All fingers crossed.
Am I the only one to suspect DCC decided what they wanted to do, concocted a consulation exercise based on something far more draconian and will now revert to the original intention claiming to have taken on board the views of the public? Or have I been reading too many conspiracy theories..
30 November 2009
'Twelve projects across England - from Darlington in the north to Plymouth in the south - have today been given the go ahead to rebuild or refurbish secondary schools in their area as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
The 12 projects are: Brent, Darlington, Devon, Havering, Kingston & Croydon, Lancashire, Norfolk, Plymouth, Sefton, Tameside, Wakefield, and Warrington. Each of these will embark on their BSF schemes between January and March 2010.
The authorities were confirmed following a rigorous selection process in which they demonstrated they were ready to hit the ground running with their projects to renew the secondary schools estate in their area.'
Please note the absence of Dorset. This means that DCC have been unsuccessful in their bid and cannot rely on BSF money to pay for a refurbished Purbeck School or a new secondary school in Swanage. Why don't they just shelve the whole plan and leave our schools alone? The alternative is for us council tax payers to foot the bill when DCC borrow the money that they don't have and for our children to be educated in poorly funded, inadequate buuildings. Many of Dorset schools already have deficit budgets, spending money that DCC don't have will just make the pinch felt across the whole of Dorset.
Presumably the cabinet knew that there is no BSF funding when they decided to postpone their decision until January. The cynics amongst us might well suspect that it has more to do with calculating their finances than listening to Swanage. This might well be a convenient opt out clause for DCC.
beebs take on it
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8391591.stm
Fair point 7.13 and if they don't have the money I hope they take the chance to save face rather than plough ahead.
It might be the other way round - they don't have the money to build a big enough school in Wareham so the option of refurbishing the Purbeck and Swanage Middle seems more attractive.
UGHH a refurbished Middle School is hardly a new school for the 21st century.
A very telling comment from the BBC report -
Dorset County Council's cabinet member for children's services, Toni Coombs, said:
"It is disappointing not be included in the next round of BSF funding.
"However, we still have our Modernising Schools Programme, which allows us to spend £17m a year on school remodelling and refurbishment across Dorset, and look forward to any future opportunities to apply for government funding.
"This announcement means we would not have as much to spend on secondary provision in Purbeck as we would have liked and, in light of this, more work is needed to be done before we decide on any further consultation on secondary provision in Purbeck."
Pheew. So during the first round, Swanage First was threatened with closure. They fought tooth and nail to save their school and they did not give up. As their song said, DCC hit Jurassic rock.
So next under the knife was St George's. They fought for months with support from Swanage First and Education Swanage. Education Swanage have been given a month to prove a Secondary can work in Swanage. But perhaps the three tier may be the winner, the one question that was posed to John England in January was..how can you be doing this at a time of deep recession, he said that there was not a recession when they began this review??
So have all these officers been paid a fortune to continue with this irresponsible review? Some Swanage Councillors were very certain that this reorganisation would never happen, as there would be no funding. Shame its taken so long for DCC to start admitting it.
So has this all been a complete waste of tax payers money and time?
http://www.pets-on-holiday.co.uk/sos-swanagefirst/files/save-our-school.mp3
Time will tell.
Let Swanage voices be heard.
Many people – including Jim Knight MP - seem to think that the perfect solution is to convert all the existing first schools in Purbeck to primary schools. ‘Save Our School’ campaigns are clearly very emotive and understandably enjoy excellent support from the community.
But what of St. Mark’s School in Herston? St Marks was founded in 1855 which I think makes it the oldest school in Purbeck. It has the highest ratio of pupils who walk to first school in the Swanage area. Unfortunately, in addition to only having five classrooms, previous OFSTED inspectors have noted that the size of its playground and playing field is too small and restrictive – even for a first school. Yes, they could lower their intake and adopt a policy of having classes comprised of mixed age groups in order to accommodate YR to Y6 as some other schools are prepared to do. But St Mark’s would regard this as a step backwards and risk compromising their children’s education – quite rightly too in my opinion. The governors there have unsuccessfully tried to work with the other first schools in the area on developing a new primary school on the Swanage Middle School site and as a result they are now pressing DCC for a new school on their own. I really hope they get it – they fully deserve to. Whether this happens or not remains to be seen, particularly in view of the secondary school argument.
We now face the prospect of a third round of public consultation as if this is miraculously going to somehow produce a consensus and more sustainable solution. Frankly if the latest DCC Cabinet report is the best set of options that County can come up with then I hope that the whole project falls through and we retain a three tier system. Swanage Middle School has had a chequered history but right is now doing a fine job.
Is there a study of future population trends for Swanage and its immediate neighbours to determine just how many school age children will be enrolled in schools for the next 15-20 years? With the local Swanage economy plateauing (at best), and house prices increasing, will there even be the same number of pupils as now, or fewer? Will there be a need for as many school places in 2 - 5 - 10 -15 - 20 years?
If projected numbers show a decline, then rationalization of school premises makes economic sense. The Middle School site could accommodate all junior school pupils and with investment could provide much better facilities, more staff and a wider range of options on offer. Why not have a 'house' system with each former junior school's name given to a house, and the heritage kept alive in one form? Just a thought.
Meanwhile, the move of pupils to Wareham will only follow the pattern that post-Swanage Middle School pupils follow now. The only difference is that the starting age will be lower. I do think that dedicated, local and more frequently- scheduled school buses will have to be laid on in the same manner as American and Canadian 'yellow buses' and absolutely must be provided as a free service.
Emotions and community spirit are wonderful and powerful forces but at some point reality has to come into play. I dislike the thought of this whole transition but we have to face economic reality. IF we have to make the change, and IF it is done right, in a few years we will adapt and life will go on - perhaps for the better. If Swanage and Purbeck had addressed affordable housing issues when the economy was vibrant, this might have been averted, but they didn't. Let's be realistic and work as much on a plan that improves schools, IF the scheme to go to a two tier system goes ahead. Let's sort transport, and ensure that real investment in time, talent and treasure is made into the new and enlarged schools, so that they become as good as any in the best of Poole, Bournemouth or Christchurch (and I would suggest a review of the schools in Christchurch - which does not have the grammar system but has outstanding two-tier schools. If an amalgamated junior school in Swanage could match the results of Christchurch Junior, and if Purbeck School could raise itself to match Twynham School (a huge challenge - you would need an inspirational and aspirational figure such as Dr. Terry Fish to do this), we could accept the change as one for the better, despite the unfortunate sacrifice of the old schools.
Somewhere, there will have to be compromise on this issue.
You make some valid points here Yankee but just wait for the howls of protest from the SOS brigade.
Unfortunately, the proposal for new primary school in Swanage – originally by merging Swanage First and St. Mark’s - was swept aside by a campaign which was based as much on prejudice as practical or educational grounds. There does seem to have been a degree of ‘bunker mentality’ at work in the first schools here with a distinct lack of any co-operation or a wish to compromise. Sadly our children will be the ultimate losers and the prospect of Swanage and Langton ending up with four primary schools comprised largely of classes made up of mixed age groups as rolls continue to fall is a poor scenario which just doesn’t make sense, either educationally or economically.
The concept of a secondary school in Swanage does on the face of it have some merits. However, on reflection I am seriously concerned about such a proposal. In the modern high-tech world that we now live, and which will drive the global competitiveness of our education system in years to come, I have concerns that valuable resources will be diluted and that a Swanage secondary school will struggle to offer a suitable depth of education. From a practical point of view a twin campus school, as being proposed by ‘Education Swanage’, would be a logistical nightmare with pupils having to be constantly ferried between Swanage and Wareham as their specific options and timetables required. In addition the Purbeck School has an excellent on-site Sports Centre with sports hall, floodlit all-weather tennis courts\astro pitches, a fitness room, dance facilities, squash courts and a six-lane, heated indoor swimming pool. Facilities that are never going to be replicated in Swanage in our lifetimes and which our children should have full access to – both as part of their curriculum and after-school.
Yes of course I do have some concerns about eleven year olds being bussed to Wareham but frankly I believe that the alternatives being put forward by sections of the community are at best idealistic and at worst dangerously flawed. We need to ensure that our Councillors receive both sides of the argument from their electorate.
Jimbo - you raise excellent concerns too. Before they 'howl', I want SOS to know that I utterly support their commitment and many, if not all, of their aspirations for local education.
But facts are facts. Our local economy cannot sustain huge expenditure, and central government is more likely to freeze than increase any additional investment in schools over the next few years, or until the economy digs itself out of the recession and again roars forward. 2010 may well be worse than 2009 for the local economy, which is heavily reliant on tourism and on property values, both of which lag behind trends in the national economy. There is a chance the recent upward trend in market values could go down again, turning the V-shaped recovery we currently have into a W -shaped one, extending the recession. Tourism, being discretionary expenditure, will be one of the first sectors to feel the pain from this. The pain could be acute, and while we don't welcome it, we should prepare for it.
Back to the point - this may not be the time to extract the money needed to create a new secondary school in Swanage - unless a very strong case can be made for an increasing numbers of pupils over the new 10 to 20 years. Can anyone make a valid claim for this?
So, while it pains me to say this, I believe that consolidation will win the day. I would encourage SOS to continue to strive for its goals, but I would suggest it also think through its options if the consolidation route is chosen, so that it can ensure whichever choices ARE made, we end up with as many improvements as possible for our children's future in Swanage and the Purbecks, even if it has to be a two-tier system.
DCC's 'Future school provision in Purbeck - consultation' website is at:
http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=388931
Population statisitcs and projections are included here.
Thanks, Jimbo. The birthrate is on a steady decline in Purbeck. This makes me inclined to think that there will be little or no incentive for the government to increase school capital expenditure in Purbeck.
A bit of a nail in the coffin for a new state secondary school in Swanage.
It seems to me there are many voices to be heard on this issue of a secondary school in Swanage. As a member of Education Swanage I am working towards persuading Dorset County Council to enable all of these voices to be heard in a full consultation process in 2010.
From my point of view this issue is not just about financial viability, it is about education, the community and environmental sustainability. Having said that how would the total lack of a vibrant education provision for secondary age students in Swanage impact on local industry, commercial development and the demographic profile of the town?
It may just be that local people can work with DCC to enhance an innovative proposal for BSF funding in the next round.
It may seem as if the SOS campaign and the works of Education Swanage are counter intuitive to arguments of financial viability and economics,however the transition we need in Swanage may well be about building human scale schools, based on relationships rather than consolidation, offering depth at the expense of breadth.
How about we open minds rather than close ranks on the gateway to the Jurassic Coast?
I agree with almost everything in the previous post. I support the concepts you espouse. But I make my point to open minds to the fact that funding MAY become a stumbling block - I would suggest it will be the ONLY stumbling block - and so it would be wise to consider other options to improve local education should the unfortunate decision to reject a secondary school for Swanage come to pass.
Education Swanage should consider diversifying its approach to this issue by preparing for more than one outcome. Is not this a case of opening, rather than closing, minds?
HI Yankee, rest assured we are doing that and are busy arranging meetings with various experts in the New Year.
We meet with DCC tomorrow and (hopefully) will know better then how officers have reacted to A) the councillors' decision to force them to look again at secondary education and B) the lack of BSF funding.
Education Swanage has always argued that all the funding should be in place before any reorganisation begins.
Thanks for your comments and I appreciate your support. Education Swanage are meeting with DCC officers tomorrow to discuss the way forward. Following that meeting Education Swanage are hoping to hold a public meeting in Swanage to enable members of the local community to gather, hear what we have to say and discuss the issue of secondary education for the town. No one is suggesting there is only one possible outcome, or that finances aren't a stumbling block, but as far as I am concerned it is not the obstacles that are the problem rather how you get round them.
Hopefully you will join us at the public meeting where we can discuss together the diversity of ideas for providing the young people of Swanage and the surrounding villages with the local educational provision they deserve.
Can anybody explain why the caravan sales page has been deleted from the Swanage Bay View website? Does this mean my caravan is not being marketed?
Darwin expects 15% of the sales price for no work on their part??
What is going on??
OOPs!! Sorry - wrong post!!
The Swanage Bay View caravans are all going to be used as classrooms at the wonderful new schools the county council will bodge together! It's amazing what they can do with no money and no idea! DCC should put the whole thing on hold and do it properly when the money's available.
Couldn't agree more.........two tier isn't all that bad. It's how you do it that counts.
Personally I could scream at the shortsightedness of DCC officers. Instead of embracing the vision of the Swanage community they continue to proceed down the line of capitalism, that bigger is better. Hey Ho! They ignore all proven evidence that humnan scale (smaller schools) are better for a childs education and personal development. Communities criticise children's behaviour and are outraged by their lack of concern for their local environment and community,hardly surprising.. How can these children feel a part of where they live (thier community), if they are educated 10 miles away, in another town. Some people are supporting Purbeck School..fair enough but only one parent from Swanage attended the last Purbeck School PTA meeting and no parents from Wareham. Disengagement of parents and community springs to mind. Don't try to deny this, because it is fact. Smaller schools encourage inclusion of children, parents and community.
"Smaller schools encourage inclusion of children, parents and community."
GOOD schools encourage inclusion of children, parents and community.
Why is everyone so obsessed with this idea of SIZE?
What's to say that a school in Swanage would be better? Why keep criticising Purbeck School for this one aspect, whilst ignoring all the things it does well?
There isn't any funding anyway, so let's hope with all our letter-writing energy that DCC put this whole thing on hold. If they do push through with the reorganisation it will not be the "21st century vision" we have been sold. Why try to spread a pittance even further with a non-resourced, antiquated, uninspiring 'extra school'? Let's hope what little money there is gets ploughed into improving and updating. There is not enough to start afresh with any large-scale development.
Small schools are best for young children. Teenagers need more scope and new horizons to stretch their capabilities. I shudder a bit at the thought of my teenager being educated in Swanage from playschool through sixth form. He needs to be exposed to a world beyond Swanage. He is adament that he will leave Swanage as soon as he can - he sees no future here. Most of his friends say the same thing.
I find it hard to believe that parents in Swanage would find it too hard to attend meetings at Purbeck School. Who doesn't drive past it on the way to Wareham, Poole etc?
I agree with the previous post. There is not the money for a new secondary school. Better to spend what money there is to upgrade the provision at Purbeck School.
Why try to spread a pittance even further with a non-resourced, antiquated, uninspiring 'extra school'? Let's hope what little money there is gets ploughed into improving and updating. There is not enough to start afresh with any large-scale development.
If you have attended any of the Education Swanage meetings, you would understand that this school would be anything but uninspiring. It could be the most inspirational school school in Purbeck. It would have the vision that was so enthusiastically expressed at the public consultation meetings. There is nothing uninspirational about a good school that could serve the children of Swanage.
'I find it hard to believe that parents in Swanage would find it too hard to attend meetings at Purbeck School. Who doesn't drive past it on the way to Wareham, Poole etc?'
So why is the PTA almost non existant at Purbeck School, only one parent (in total) attended the last PTA meeting, they had a cosy chat with Mr Holman. Perhaps the Swanage parents feel disengaged.
' If you have attended any of the Education Swanage meetings, you would understand that this school would be anything but uninspiring. It could be the most inspirational school school in Purbeck. It would have the vision that was so enthusiastically expressed at the public consultation meetings. There is nothing uninspirational about a good school that could serve the children of Swanage. '
Aspirations raised at public meetings are just that -aspirational. Unless you are proposing a fee-paying school, your dream may never happen. There is simply no money for this now, and not until the economy drastically improves - years away.
Why isn't Swanage Middle School 'the most inspirational school school in Purbeck' already? Why don't you work on this first? How would your new secondary school be any better than SMS? What makes this difference?
I am constantly amazed by some of the comments from supporters of Education Swanage. How exactly are you going to make that it is 'most inspirational school school in Purbeck' and 'would have the vision that was so enthusiastically expressed at the public consultation meetings'?
It is heartening to hear that there are more reflective thinkers beginning to question all of the promises made by Education Swanage publicly.
As the PTA is poorly supported by parents in Wareham as well as Swanage I would suggest that it has more to do with parents not wanting to be involved than the location of the school. This is extremely common at secondary schools. The PTA is essentially a fund raising group and many parents of secondary school age children are busy working and (rightly or wrongly)don't want to give up their free time to be on the PTA. It's not always easy to get support for PTA events even in Primary schools. I don't think this is a fair way to judge whether parents can manage to get to Wareham. If so many supporters of Education Swanage are so concerned about Purbeck School, why don't they join the PTA then? It's a daft argument.
I agree. A much fairer assessment could be made by using data of parents attending parent-teacher meetings and conferences. I know that we have become less involved with PTA affairs as our children have grown. We always attend parent-teacher meetings - if we cannot on the appointed date, we do so later in a private meeting. We are not alone in our diminished enthusiasm for PTA activities in secondary school. It does not mean we support the school and teachers whenever we can, nor do we
ignore our duty as parents to take an active interest in our children's academic, social and personal progress.
It has absolutely nothing to do with having to drive to Wareham.
Thank you to the previous few posters for questioning the logic of some of Education Swanage's rather sweeping statements. It is quite a leap to judge Swanage parents 'disengagement' from the school by the attendance at one PTA meeting, which as a previous post pointed out, is primarily for fundraising! It does not say anything about parents' interest and involvement in their children's education.
Also, hasn't it been Education Swanage's plan to run a Swanage as a satellite of the Purbeck school? I would have thought it more appropriate to support and work with Purbeck, rather than criticise it?
Picking up on an earlier comment:
Am I the only one to suspect DCC decided what they wanted to do, concocted a consulation exercise based on something far more draconian and will now revert to the original intention claiming to have taken on board the views of the public? Or have I been reading too many conspiracy theories..
4:55 PM
Which original intention are you referring to? The one to close Swanage First and to merge schools in Wool, or to close St George's. Or this next one, to keep all first/primaries but move St Marks onto Swanage Middle School Site? Or to include consultation for a Swanage Secondary, or to do nothing and to keep the 3 tier system as it is?
In today's news:
-----------------------------------
Universities face £500m cut in funding
By Nicholas Timmins, Public Policy Editor
English universities will have £500m less to spend next year than this in a move that increases pressure on the government to lift the cap on tuition fees after the general election.
-----------------------------------
Does anyone think extra money will now be found for a new school in Swanage - as long as the number of school age children in the district is on the decline?
The whole point of two-tier is to save money. And I agree with the previous post that DCC has probably already made up its mind. If it has not, recent news such as in this news article will provide further impetus for DCC to consolidate schools as a cost-savings measure.
What about Lottery Funding for a Swanage School. It seems to be available for other projects benefitting rural communities.
I think there is a real danger in wishing for a secondary school for Swanage that is not part of the Purbeck school. It would be incredibly small, probably only about 400 students. This would mean it could not compete with larger schools in terms of specialist teachers, subject options, and facilities. It's a bit scary too to think of your kids only mixing socially with other kids from Swanage until they left for college! I know my kids wouldn't have been happy with that.
Lottery funding is not available for projects such as government funded education. The lottery commission would expect a new school to be funded through the normal channels e.g. the DfE.
If you seek alternate funding to government funding, the only possible sources are private investors such as seen in city academies or private education.
I rather doubt sponsors of either choice would see a secondary school for Swanage as worthy of investment for educational or financial reasons. The alternative - Purbeck School - hardly deprives our children of a good education. Hence they would not see an urgent need for a new secondary school in Swanage.
'Purbeck School - hardly deprives our children of a good education'
Exactly. In fact for some of us it's a preferable alternative to a small, insular secondary school in Swanage which neither DCC or the government are likely to fund. Private investment....no thanks! In this economic climate....dream on!
The lottery commission would expect a new school to be funded through the normal channels e.g. the DfE.
How is the DFE going to fund the building of all the proposed new Schools? Thats Swanage First, St Mary's, St Mark's, St George's Langton. Not forgetting the brand new Purbeck School, with its additional school across the road on the Wareham Middle School Site. The plans were to rebuild all First Schools to Primaries and to rebuild Purbeck School on its site (as it was said that the building had come to the end of its usefulness). If the building for schools funding is not available, how will any of this be achieved ??
Does anyone know, or are we all in a state of limbo ??
They will tart up existing buildings until funds become available. Portacabins galore! Also, they will raise money by selling off redundant schools (more flat for Swanage; more rates for the Council) and save money by no longer having to maintain these buildings.
The Swanage Middle School site alone would be worth quite a lot as a site for new homes, such as those that were built the other side of the roundabout about 20 years ago.
Why not ask a PDC member?
OOPS!! Meant 'Sandford' , not 'Swanage' Middle School site!!!
Not sure that the school issue is anything to do with PDC?
PLEASE - WHEN THIS COMES UP FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, GO TO A MEETING, AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FINANCES.
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT DCC STILL WANT TO PUSH THIS THROUGH WITHOUT THE FUNDING. THEY KEEP CHANGING THE GOALPOSTS ABOUT HOW MUCH IT IS GOING TO COST - REVISING ESTIMATES DOWNWARDS. THE END RESULT WILL BE SUBSTANDARD BUILDINGS AND PORTACABINS - LOOK AT THEIR TRACK RECORD.
THE BEST THING WE CAN DO NOW IS TO TRY TO BLOCK ANY CHANGE UNLESS THERE ARE ASSURANCES THAT IT WILL BE AN IMPROVEMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION. DCC ARE RUNNING A BIT SHORT ON THEIR '21st CENTURY VISION' AT THE MOMENT!
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