Informal consultation opens on closure of Brentfield Road site of Leopold Primary School

 

The informal consultation process on the closure of the Brentfield Road (Gwenneth Rickus building) site of Leopold Primary School began yesterday with a letter to parents:

 

Brent Council has launched an informal consultation seeking the views of the public regarding the closure of the Gwenneth Rickus site of Leopold Primary School. This is being proposed in response to falling pupil numbers in Brent, resulting in a high number of spare places in local primary schools.

The proposal will not result in changes to the provision of education on the Hawkshead Road site.

No decisions have been taken yet, but if the proposal to close the Gwenneth Rickus site was to be implemented it would begin to take effect from September 2025.

It is important you have a chance to have your say on this proposal. A consultation document and response form is available on the Brent website at www.brent.gov.uk/neighbourhoods-and- communities/have-your-say, via email LeopoldConsultation@brent.gov.uk and hard copies are also available from the school’s reception. All documents are also available on this webpage www.brent.gov.uk/leopoldconsultation where you can find facilities to translate them into different languages.

There will be six public consultation meetings where you will be able to find out more about the proposal and express your views. Public consultation meetings are being held at:

• 9am, 3.30pm and 6.00pm on 14 November 2023 at Leopold Primary School, Gwenneth Rickus Site, Brentfield Road, Neasden, NW10 8HE
• 9am, 3.30pm and 6.00pm on 15 November 2023 at Leopold Primary School, Hawkshead Road, Harlesden, NW10 9UR

The informal consultation runs from Wednesday 1 November until Wednesday 13 December 2023.

Please note that when I went to the webpage this morning it was not accepting submission at present.

For ease of reference I embed the consultation document below:

 

As funding crisis begins to hit Brent schools join Education Cuts Hurt - Fund Our Schools Rally November 22nd 6pm

 

 

Parents, students, governors, support staff, teachers and councillors are being urged to make their voices heard over school funding as long-term underfunding begins to hit local schools by attending the above rally tim ed to coincide with the Autumn Statement.

'Restructures' are taking place in many schools with support staff likely to be hit by redundancies. As Wembley Matters has pointed out before support staff have become vital to the achievement of higher quality education in Brent schools. They run special programmes of support in primary schools with a focus on maths and literacy, deliver 1:1 programmes on speech and language that may have previously been delivered by speech therapists, and provide behaviour and pastoral support. 

A long way from the 'washing paintpots' role of the 70s that readers may have experienced. 

Teaching support staff are so integrated into the classroom that many children see them as another teacher.

The differences are hidden and include low pay and for some term-time only contracts. In Brent they are overwhelmingly women and ethnic minority and if the main wage earner, often have to take on another job in order to make ends meet.

By far the biggest proportion of the  school budget is spent on salaries. Essential equipment and materials prices have increased with inflation. not to leave out soaring energy costs, so it is staffing costs that bear the brunt of budget cuts. Every class or subject has to have a teacher, so inevitably it is support staff, the often invisible backbone of the school, who face redundancy.

The situation is so bad that the National Education Union now runs training sessions for its school representatives in restructuring and redundancy - and resistance:

 

 

Local authority schools (as distinct from academies) that are unable to balance their budget can request a 'licensed deficit'. This means the LA will support them over a period of several years to bring their budget back into balance. They have to submit plans to reduce costs over that period to gain a licence and this can mean  more time to allow 'natural wastage' to take effect, as long as it includes a rationale that maintains the quality of education in the longer term. A difficult task. The LA's capacity to do this is limited by its own financial constraints so it is not the answer to widespread difficulties.

Falling pupil numbers also contribute to the budget crisis as schools are funded per pupil. If schools cannot fill their classes the staffing costs for a teacher (and a class teaching assistant) remain the same for a 24 pupil class as for a 30 pupil class. Smaller classes are welcome but need proper funding.   Brent Council is currently reviewing primary provision and will be proposing changes such as reducing some schools by a class per year with the possibility of mergers or closures in the longer term. They are currently consulting on the closure of the Brentfield Road site of Leopold Primary School.

There have been decades of under-investment in schools. This year was going to be difficult anyway but the situation has been made worse by the Government's mistake in the simple foecast of the number of  pupils in schools, so that schools have a lower budget than promised.

Leaders of the teaching unions wrote to the Secretary of State on October 15th:

On 17 July, Schools Minister Nick Gibb told the House of Commons:  

“Funding for mainstream schools through the schools National Funding Formula is increasing by 2.7 per cent per pupil compared to 2023-24.  

“The minimum per-pupil funding levels (MPPLs) will increase by 2.4 per cent compared to 2023-24. This will mean that, next year, every primary school will receive at least £4,655 per pupil, and every secondary school at least £6,050.  

“The core factors in the schools NFF (such as basic per-pupil funding, and the lump sum that all schools attract) will increase by 2.4 per cent.”  

On 6 October we were informed that there had been an error resulting in an underestimate in forecasting pupil numbers, and that the NFF tables issued in July were being revised and republished to stay within the already announced Core Schools Budget.  

Funding for mainstream schools through the schools NFF will now increase by just 1.9 per cent. The minimum per-pupil funding level for primary schools will be £4,610 (£45 less per pupil) and for secondary schools it will be £5,995 (£55 less per pupil). The core factors of the NFF will now only increase by 1.4 per cent.  

Government’s revisions to the NFF, in light of higher than forecast pupil numbers, effectively reduce the value of the NFF by £370 million. Schools are already having difficulty balancing their books; some will now face the very real prospect of cuts to provision.

Brent teachers and parents are already hearing about the difficulties and proposed cuts to provision. The November 22nd Rally organisers say:

After more than a decade of underfunding of education, we see the results in crumbling buildings, a profound teacher recruitment crisis and redundancies and restructures in schools across the city.

Cuts to Special Educational Needs provision are damaging the education and life chances of millions of children and young people.

Hear from those organising and fighting for the money we need, including trade unionists, parent campaigners and politicians.

Join the short demonstration beforehand as parliament meets to hear the Tories' Autumn Statement. Bring friends, colleagues and family to demand better. Save our schools, fund education.

Join the Resistance - book your place HERE

 

Just in case... Flood warning advice from Brent Council flooding emergency page

 

Information from Brent Council website in case you are affected  LINK

Flood warnings

When there is a risk of flooding warnings are broadcast on television and radio weather forecasts and travel bulletins. Make sure you know the frequency for your local radio station.

The Environment Agency provides flood warnings and public advice, as well as a 24-hour flood information service.

The number for Floodline is 0345 988 1188 (or Type Talk: 0345 602 6340) where you can listen to recorded flood warning information or speak to an operator for general information and advice 24 hours a day.

The person who can do the most to prepare for flooding is you.

During a flood, you may find you're without lighting, heating or a telephone line so the better prepared you are the better you'll cope if you are caught in a flood situation.

Be Aware. Be Prepared. The time to think is now don't wait until it happens.

See how putting a grab bag may will help you to respond see the preparing for an emergency page.

If your house is potentially at risk from flooding here are some key things to remember.

If you are in a flood risk area find out if you can sign up to the Environment Agency's free 24 hour Floodline Warnings Direct service by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (or Type Talk: 0345 602 6340). You can select to receive warnings by phone, text or email.

Keep details of your insurance policy and the emergency contact numbers for your local council, emergency services and Floodline quick dial number somewhere safe - preferably as part of your emergency flood kit.

Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water mains supplies.

If a flood is forecasted, take valuable items upstairs and take photos for insurance purposes.

Leave internal doors open, or ideally, remove them and store them upstairs.

Outside the house

Move anything not fixed down into a safer location, e.g. dustbins, garden chemicals car oil and similar.

Move your car to higher ground to avoid damage.

Weigh down manhole covers outside the house to prevent them floating away and leaving a hazardous hole.

See our page about who to call regarding drains and gullies for more advice.

For more information on preparing for a flood and other publications visit the Environment Agency's website

Sandbags

We do not supply sandbags or flood protection products directly to the public.

Builder's Merchants and DIY Stores may have sandbags available.

If you can't obtain sandbags, you can make them yourself by filling things like compost bags, old pillowcases or carrier bags filled with earth or sand.

'Listen to the People' - Green Party Leaders' message to Government and Labour on a ceasefire

 The co-leaders of the Green Party have written to the UK government and the official opposition urging them to "listen to the people” and join international calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In a letter to both the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly and his Labour counterpart, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Green co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, deputy leader Zack Polanski and Global Solidarity spokesperson Carne Ross set out how the only way to protect civilians is for the fighting to stop.

In addition, they call on both the Conservatives and Labour to throw their weight behind an “internationally arbitrated once-and-for-all settlement” so that “Israeli and Palestinian citizens can live in safety and security with their rights, at last, fully protected.”

Co-leader Carla Denyer said:

The mass civilian suffering we have seen in Israel and Gaza has shocked the world. Over 700 civilians are being killed every day, one child every ten minutes. The dire humanitarian situation is clearly intolerable and must end.

We cannot hear arguments about violence now somehow preventing further violence in future without shuddering. The lives of children cannot be bartered in this way.

We are deeply concerned that neither the UK government nor the official opposition has joined international calls for a ceasefire. It is with deep regret that the Green Party feels the need to point out that at times like these, silence is complicity.

We urge both the government and the Labour Party to listen to the British people, three-quarters of whom want an immediate ceasefire .

In the letters, the Green Party sets out how war crimes have been committed by both sides since Hamas’s horrific attacks on 7 October.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

The awful attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October were brutal violence, and the hostages must be released unconditionally, but the horrific attacks we saw on that day cannot justify military actions that break international law.

There is no military route to long-term safety and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, as they both deserve. Instead, there must be a political settlement, based on the requirements of international law and beginning with an end to the occupation.

The UK government should push for an internationally arbitrated once-and-for-all settlement that fully ends the occupation of Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the requirements of international law.

It used to be the case that international law was the basis of UK government policy, and the positions of both Conservatives and Labour.  It is deeply troubling that this seems to have been forgotten by both government and opposition.  Such an abandonment will do long-term harm to Britain’s already-questionable reputation as a defender of the international rules-based order.

Brent’s Halloween Nightmare – its Morland Gardens planning consent has expired!

 Guest post by Philip Grant in a personal capacity 

 

“Altamira”, 1 Morland Gardens, on 30 October 2023 (a significant date).

 

I’ve lost count of the number of guest posts I’ve written about Brent Council’s plans to redevelop (and demolish!) this locally listed heritage Victorian villa, then home to Brent Start, since they first submitted a planning application in February 2020.

 

The proposed development was mentioned in a report to Brent’s Cabinet earlier this month, which said: ‘The Morland Garden project is experiencing significant viability challenges whilst also being subject to a significant delay in the project delivery timescales dependent on the outcome of the public inquiry in relation to the stopping up order.’

 

I pointed out one of the “significant viability challenges” in guest posts in July, including copies of open letters to Brent’s Chief Executive and to the Mayor of London. I showed that Brent’s claim to have achieved a “start of site” by 31 March 2023, in order to qualify for more than £6.5m in GLA 2016-2023 Affordable Homes Programme funding, was false.

 

At first Brent refused to accept this, but on 30 August I received a letter of apology from Kim Wright, including the following admissions:

 

‘In the past few days, I have been made aware of some delays to the works programme which have resulted in the GLA’s Start on Site definition not being met, and this is different to what I had been firmly assured by colleagues was the case and which I communicated to you.’

 

‘I have expressed my disappointment and frustration to those Officers involved, in that I should have been able to rely on the accuracy of what they were telling me, especially after I had probed this particular point thoroughly in order to satisfy myself as to the position.’

 

‘Having reviewed this with the GLA, the council is now aware that this means the Start on Site definition was not met …. The council informed the GLA as soon as we became aware of this error and we are committed to working closely with them to address any implications arising from it.’

 

So, currently NO funding from the GLA for this project, What about the delay caused by ‘the public inquiry in relation to the stopping up order’? The Mayor of London’s decision on 20 March 2023 advised Brent that a Public Inquiry would be necessary, but (as one of the objectors) I waited in vain to hear when that would be held. 

 

On 23 June I submitted an FoI request with a simple question:

 

‘Has a request to hold an Inquiry over the proposed Stopping-up Order been sent to the Inspector?’

 

All that it needed was a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Instead, on 31 July I received the following response from Brent’s Director of Property and Assets:

 

‘In relation to [your enquiry] above, I am unable to provide any of the information that you have requested, and, in this regard, I apply the EIR 2004 Exemptions set out in 12(4) (d) which states that the Council may refuse to disclose information where “the request relates to material which is still in the course of completion. This is because the Council is currently in the process of considering its options in relation to the Stopping-up-Order and no formal decision has been made as to how the Council will proceed.’

 

It appeared that the Council had not yet put the wheels in motion for an Inquiry into the objections (by four members of the public) against the proposed Stopping-up Order, but as the refusal to say “yes” or “no” seemed unreasonable, I requested an Internal Review. However, it appears that I didn’t understand how difficult it can be to provide a straight “yes” or “no” answer!

 

On 11 September, I received the Council’s response to that Internal Review (from Brent’s Corporate Director of Finance and Resources, no less). It included this statement:

 

‘With respect to the public interest considerations, I am aware of our obligations to enable greater access to environmental information. I am also aware of the public interest in promoting accountability and transparency for decisions taken by Brent, especially in relation to Morland Gardens and the stopping up order.  However, I am also of the view, that providing a yes/no answer as you suggest, at that time, could disrupt the process and thinking of officers. I am therefore satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure.’

 

However, the GLA funding and the Public Inquiry required over the Stopping-up Order were not Brent’s only problems over its proposed Morland Gardens development. They seem to have overlooked Condition 1 of the planning consent they received on 30 October 2020:

 

Condition 1 from the Decision Notice issued on 30 October 2020,
accepting Brent Council’s Morland Gardens planning application 20/0345.

 

The Council’s flawed Morland Gardens project has seen mistake after mistake, delay after delay. I will ask Martin to attach below a copy of the Open Letter I sent today to Brent’s Chief Executive, advising her that the planning permission for the Morland Gardens development has expired. It has lots of information, pictures and legal argument, should you care to read it.

 

1 Morland Gardens and the Community Garden, with the sympathetically redeveloped
(about 20 years ago) Victorian villa at 2 Morland Gardens beyond, 30 October 2023,

 

Brent may try to find a way to wriggle out of the latest mess they have got themselves into, but I hope they will now have the good sense to drop their current plans, and design a development which provides an up-to-date college for Brent Start, with some affordable housing, but retains the beautiful heritage Victorian villa and the Community Garden area in front of it.

 

Philip Grant.

 

 

Additional 27 places for Manor School Satellite at Newman Catholic College

Brent's Director for Property and Assets has approved a variation of the Council's contract with McAvoy Group to build extra SEND provision at Newman Catholic College.

The variation will provide an additional 27 places to the 36 originally planned and will cost £411,624.15.

The satellite provision will be run by Manor School.

The provision will remain in place until the new SEND provision in London Road, Wembley is ready to be occupied - originally expected in 2024/25. 

Brent, London, and the struggle against apartheid - Willesden Green Library, noon Tuesday October 31st

 

The statement from 35 Brent Labour councillors yesterday calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East, mentioned Brent conferring the Freedom of the Borough, on Nelson Mandela, as evidence of the borough's tradition of standing on the 'right side of history'.

This talk at Willesden Green Library tomorrow, Tuesday 31st October noon-1pm, goes into the history of the Anti-Apartheid movement and Brent's part in the struggle for justice in South Africa:

In this talk discover how London was a hub for the international opposition to apartheid South Africa. As well as providing a home for many exiled opponents of the racist regime including Oliver Tambo, President of the African National Congress, London was the HQ of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, which played a leading role in the international campaign to end apartheid. Brent in the 1980s and 1990s had an active local Anti-Apartheid Group and Wembley Stadium hosted the two international Nelson Mandela Concerts in 1988 and 1990.

 

Mugs first produced by the Brent Anti-Apartheid group, telling the story of a Black South African worker sentenced to 18 months in custody for writing ‘Release Nelson Mandela’ on his tea mug.

Courtesy Anti-Apartheid Legacy & Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives

Long time Brent resident Suresh Kamath was Vice-Chair of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and chaired the organising committee of the two Mandela concerts. He is currently a Trustee of Action for Southern Africa and the Liliesleaf Trust UK.

RESERVE TICKETS HERE (FREE)

Public Meeting: CEASEFIRE NOW-SAVE GAZA 31st October, Harrow with Jeremy Corbyn