Monday 2 September 2013

Save Our Sulivan school is a child-centred campaign that deserves our whole-hearted support


Outside Hammersmith Town Hall

Parents, pupils, teachers and governors  lobbied the Hammersmith and Fulham Council at Hammersmith Town Hall this evening to try and save Sulivan Primary School. 'Save Our Hospitals' campaigner were there in  support.

The Council want to  move the pupils to nearby New Kings School to enable a Free School for 800 boys to take over the Sulivan site. The sting in the tail of this proposal is that New King's has decided to become an academy with private sponsorship, contrary to the values of Sulivan Primary.

The 'consultation' took place, as so many do, when people were away for the long summer holiday.

The campaign website describes Sulivan School LINK:
  • It is rated ‘GOOD WITH OUTSTANDING FEATURES’
  • It is full in nursery and reception – 299 parents have chosen Sulivan
  • It has earned some of its highest results ever in recent years with amazing achievement and progress
  • It is a small, beautiful school with lovely grounds including large play areas and an outdoor science laboratory
The demonstration began at 5.30pm at this last Cabinet before the consultation.  The Council had refused to hear a delegation on technical grounds but eventually they were given 5 minutes to present their case

It is clear from the comments that have been circulating on Twitter @SaveOurSulivan  that Sulivan is exactly the sort of small, family-centred , creative school that we in the Green Party favour and it is great to see it getting such vociferous support from parents. They deserve maximum support.

Here are some of the Twitter comments:
'Learning for life' -and Learning outside!! Lets keep it that way! 

 we have wonderful courgette flowers in the sulivan school garden ready for eating - yum yum - how many schools can report that!

'oh what a perfect place, we want to keep it our Sulivan school' name the song!!

Sulivan children bake cookies to help save their school! council can't say no to a cookie baked with such love 

 Amazing Gardens for exploring, cooking, science and conservation. Children don't want bricks - they want EARTH

 Sulivan is one of the top performing primaries in - and in high demand. Closing us makes ZERO sense.

  we cook fab meals from kitchen garden for the children and they also have their own kitchen - we even cook for the Lycee

  31 Aug
Not in my Borough, but I'll mention . want to shut Sulivan Primary School to open another lardy di da free school!

 Very sad to try and remove the opportunities Sulivan gives to poor local children of all cultures.

 Our chn learn science, data collecting, conservation. Some see this 'too good 4 our chn' - we don't

 Children in portacabins so that the property can be fixed up at our cost and given away to a private school chain

 Local children in are petitioning to save their school! Support the youth of the community - help Save Sulivan

5 comments:

Dan Filson said...

There can be nothing more cynical than forcably closing a successful primary school in order to give the site to a Church of England supported free school outside the local authority support systems and any form of accountability in an area where there is already a C of E primary school within half a mile. Tory ideas of localism obviously differ from most people's understanding of the word.

Anonymous said...

Where is the sense behind the decision to close Sulivan and evict this lovely school community? What thought has been given to the welfare of the individual children who will be displaced from thier school? What happened to every child matters?

Martin Francis said...

I am afraid that the Coalition dropped Every Child Matters for Every Test Result Matters, or worse, Only What Michael Gove Says Matters

Navab Villordon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Sulivan Primary School should not be removed, because it helps a lot to those poor local children. We should support and save Sulivan Primary School.