‘Letter to Brent Council? That’ll be £6.40, please.’

(And a reply? Priceless)

Guest blog by 'Elvin Impersonator' 

On Wednesday this week letters were sent to Brent Council nominating, under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, the extensive green space of Copland’s playing fields as an ‘asset of community value’. The Act requires local authorities to maintain a list of sites and amenities which are used by the public and are part of local life. The letters were signed by representatives of local residents and Copland staff and students.

When it came to posting the letters, however, the bill came to £25.60, or £6.40 per letter, extortionate even by privatisation standards. Why so much? Well it’s the price of experience really. Last year Brent claimed to have no knowledge of a petition posted to them by first class post and signed by hundreds of Copland students opposing the forced academisation of their school. As a result, another petition opposing the Ark takeover was signed by over 400 students and copies posted to all 63 Brent councillors. Again it appears that up to 60 of these must have been lost in the post as replies were received from only three of our elected representatives. Dozens of additional letters written on the subject and sent to those looking for our votes on May 22nd have similarly met with no response whatsoever. As a result it was decided this time to utilise the Post Office service which registers the sending of the letter and effectively tracks it to its recipient. But at a cost.

Whether it was a price worth paying will soon become clear. But if Brent Labour, Lib Dems and Conservatives had sat down and tried to plan how to alienate this group of ordinary voters and drive them into the arms of Farage and the Fruitcakes, they couldn’t have done a better job than they’re doing already. Interesting to see whether the strategy changes over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile at Copland a ‘special meeting’ for staff has been called next week to introduce the new school uniform. Whether this will be the students’ uniform or the one the teachers will have to wear (shiny estate agents suits, gel, blusher etc) has not been made clear. Early booking recommended.
 

Another Brent free school will now not open in September

Another free school due to open to Year 7 pupils in Brent will now not open in September. Gateway Academy, which promised a very different educational philosophy to that of  Michaela Academy, was to due to take about 100 Year 7 pupils. The DfE has not been able to secure a site for the school.

Parents of these children, if they have not already protectively accepted a place at another Brent school, will need to apply to the Secondary School Admissions Department of Brent Council. Sara Williams, Acting Director of  Children and Families, has said that there are enough vacancies in other Brent secondary schools for the unplaced pupils. These are likely to be at Copland Community School, due to academise is September, the Crest Academies and perhaps Capital City Academy.  Other Brent secondary schools have been oversubscribed LINK

This is the lettter Johnny Kyriacou, Principal Designate of Gateway, send to parents earlier today:

Dear Parents/Guardians

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we have to announce that the opening of Gateway Academy has been deferred and will now open in September 2015. The Department for Education took the decision because they were not able to secure us a building in time for September 2014.

We have been assured that the department will continue to search for a suitable site and remain committed to the opening of the academy in 2015, however this will be of little consolation for those Parents who have applied, seeing as your children are starting secondary school this year.

I am truly sorry we were not able to make it happen for this year but it was matters outside our control, namely in finding a site, which the Department for Education sets out to do for all free schools.

Your support for Gateway Academy has been overwhelming and humbling. We know the local community in Brent are very passionate and care very much about their children and their education.

You will need to make your choice of schools available through the local authority and their admissions team. We advised you to keep your place with the LA and that applications to us were in addition to the LA.

If there is any way that we can support then please do not hesitate to contact us. If you would like to come and meet me to express any further thoughts then please contact me at info@gatewayacademy.org.uk

Once again we are very sorry we will not be able to serve our local community this year and we wish you all the best.

Yours Faithfully

Johnny Kyriacou

Principal Designate

Gladstone Free School pupils advised to find places elsewhere for September

The Brent and Kilburn Times LINK is reporting that Paul Phillips, Principal designate,  is advising parents whose children were due to attend Gladstone Free School in September 2014 to find a place elsewhere. The school has not yet secured a site or a building. 120 Year 6 children currently in primary school are affected. Sara Williams, Director of Children and Families assured the BKT that places were available elsewhere. These are likely to be at Copland or Crest Academy. Brent Council has not control over free schools or their site arrangements but they do have overall responsibility for the well-being of Brent's children.

I raised the issue of Year 7 places in proposed free schools in my letter to the Brent and Kilburn Times on September 10th. There is no further news about a building for Gateway Academy which was also due to open to 100 or so Year 7 pupils in September.

We want OUR library back!

From the Friends of Preston Library
 

Elections to Brent Council are less than a month away. We are holding a public meeting at 7.30 on Wednesday May 7 in St Erconwald's Church Hall, Carlton Avenue East HA9 8NB (flyer attached).  We have invited all the local candidates. In three of the four wards served by Preston Library, seats changed hands at the last election. They need your votes, and this is your chance to tell them what you think.

It's over two years since Brent closed six of the borough's libraries, and much of what we said would happen has happened. Brent's libraries are now, on almost every measure in the official statistics, amongst the poorest performers in London. We know that many people in the Preston area have been deprived of their library service - only yesterday someone who lives a few hundred yards from Preston Library was telling me that her daughter now struggles to find study space in the new Civic Centre Library.

The Preston Library building is still in public hands, and will be vactated by Preston Park School next year. Please come to St Erconwald's next week, and tell the politicians that we want our library back!