I would be the first to argue that SAT results are not the be all and end all in terms of judging school effectiveness and pupil achievement. Children and learning are much more complicated than that but as they are much used by school watchdog Ofsted they have been waited with bated breath by Byron Court school staff and pupils.
One of the main planks in their argument against a forced takeover by Harris Federation has been that the school should be given the chance to show improvement as a result of management changes and the support of local authority advisers and others.
Improved SAT and other test results were seen as a key aspect of showing improvement and thus avoiding the further upheaval that academisation would bring.
SAT results are not validated until December 2024 but the unvalidated figures show a massive improvment in some areas from the previous year and overall the school is achieving at or above the national average. Eary Years are affected by the fact that Byron Court does not have its own nursery and therefore children come in from a range of provision or no provision at all.
The figures have arrived in time to be presented as evidence in the upcoming meeting with the new Secretary of State.
When I spoke to Year 6 pupils with their parents outside the school after the SATs in May they seemed very confident in the test outcome. The results and a tribute to the children and their teachers and classroom assistants.
Blue figures in brackets refer to the percentage achiveing 'Great Development GD' and are not the previous year's results. They are tabulated separately.
The new Wembley Stadium was marketed as a 'public transport' destination with limited private car access. This letter is reproduced with permission of the Wembley resident who has written to councillors and council officers about some of the current issues to do with Event Day parking in the local :
Dear All,
First of all I must state that I have
no objections to Wembley Stadium increasing the number of events, having lived
in the HA9 area for almost 40 years I have learned to adapt and deal with it
and experience little disruption to daily life.
It would seem that one of the biggest
bug bears to Residents in the area is Parking, so I would ask the council to do
a complete overhaul of the Parking Permits and Event Day permits being issued
in all wards within the HA9 area, not only for event days, as many now living
in what is supposed to be “Car Free” properties have gained permits in CPZ’s
and Event Day Permits which renders the system useless.
Work with Transport for London, to
ensure that reduction of service (206 & 92) and diversion of buses (83,182,
etc) that use Empire Way and Wembley Hill Road/High Road is kept to a minimum
and if they have to be diverted for a limited time that proper signage is
erected along with Traffic Marshals to help people affected to be able to
connect with the relevant bus stop, further along the route.
Exemptions on closed roads, for
Supermarket Delivery, Parcel Deliveries, Medicines, Residents with clear
mobility issues for access especially at weekends when people who are working
have no other options but to have them when they are at home.
Make Parking Enforcement Officers aware
of the regulations with regard to Event Day permits etc.
I recently queried
with Parking Enforcement Officer why they had not ticketed 2 vehicles parked in
the CPZ and was told “they have Event Day Permits” I informed him that this did
not entitle them to park in a CPZ/Resident Bay and he told me that was not what
he had been told and would therefore not issue a ticket. I can also
confirm that these vehicles belong to residents of the “Car Free” flats of Wembley
Place.
Recently at the
Taylor Swift concerts 3 vehicles parked in the CPZ on the street, all were Chauffeurs/Uber
Drivers who sat in their vehicles, engine ticking over for over an hour waiting
to collect their customers. We never saw anyone from Enforcement and not one
was ticketed or told to move.
Event Day Permits Abuse of ….
I suggest Brent
Council Parking Service looked at websites such as:-
Just Park, Park on my
Drive, Your Parking Space, Parkopedia.
As they are valid for
3 years for £15.00! not yearly you missed a valuable revenue stream there!
I know of several
people who have moved and no longer live in the area, who have retained and
renewed their permits, who on Event Days to park in the area when visiting
relatives who live in the zone, or who have given their permits to people who
would not normally entitled to one, to use over the next few years!
The issuing of Event Day Permits to the
Residents who live outside the CPZ’s in Tokyngton, Wembley Park, Wembley Hill,
and Wembley Central has allowed anyone with a Driveway some with spaces of up
to 3 cars, the ability to exacerbate the problem to epic proportions as many
now put the permit in their cars park them on the road and rent out their
driveway. Some even park extra vehicles on the actual dropped kerb and
block the footpath on to their drive. In Tokyngton this clearly
demonstrates that blocking the road at the Arches/Harrow Road has no effect
whatsoever, as most vehicles enter from St Michaels Avenue. This renders
the road closure a complete waste of time and does nothing to alleviate the
congestion at the end of an event.
I suggest for
clarification and entertainment someone from the relevant Parking department
put in the dates of the upcoming concerts for Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift,
see how many are on offer and how many have actually sold out! The sheer
volume of adverts, all outside the CPZs to discover how widespread this is,
even Asda Wembley Park advertise on Just
Park you can reserve a space for £24 for up to 11 hours.
Blocking
vehicles from entering the Wembley Stadium area i.e at Ecclestone Place,
Triangle/Wembley Hill Road whilst the Traffic Marshalls employed by Wembley are
doing a fantastic job of reducing the issues for residents parking and
accessing their homes, this has caused an even bigger problem which no one has addressed
not Parking Enforcement or the Police, which is the……….
Designated Pick Up
Points, or rigorous enforcement of…..
Allowing Chauffeurs,
Black Taxi’s and Ubers waiting to collect their customers from parking on both
sides of the street on double yellow lines between Ecclestone Place and the
Triangle where the road is blocked, along Harrow Road and Wembley High
Road. Some Ubers and Black Taxi’s were witnessed “Touting” for
business.
This was the case on
all 3 dates of previous Taylor Swift Concerts. The 18 bus could not pick
up at the bus stop, Ambulances were stuck in gridlock and nobody was going
anywhere as 2 cars could barely pass on the road. Sainsbury’s have their
delivery at 10.30 pm every night and park in the Bus Lane, which normally is
not an issue but on Event day added to the problem.
I am able to supply
video should anyone from Parking Enforcement wish to view the mayhem this
caused and was still causing problems up until 11.30pm over an hour and fifteen
minutes after the concert finished. I will state this is not typical
concert behaviour as certain concerts do not attract the fans that use these
options, i.e Green Day, and AC/DC. I have no doubt that the up and coming
Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Boxing Events will have a same scenario
unless serious thought is given as to how to prevent this.
I look forward to
receiving a response on my comments.
It has taken a bit of nagging to get Brent Council to issue details of works on Wembley High Road but details were published on their website yesterday:
Wembley High Road is being
upgraded and different section will be closed at night during the
following times whilst we make improvements to the road.
Works across Wembley High Road are expected from Monday, 29 July to Thursday, 15 August 2024.
The works will be completed in three separate phases:
Phase 1
High
Road - Ealing Road to Park Lane – Works will begin at 8pm on Monday, 29
July and will be complete by 5am on Tuesday, 6 August. This will take
place at night only (6 Nights). Access to properties in this area will
be strictly limited and there will be a signed diversion in place for
the duration of the works. Ealing Road, Lancelot Road, St Johns Road and
London Road will also be closed at the junction with High Road whilst
works are in progress.
Phase 2
High
Road - Park Lane to Cecil Avenue – Works will commence at 8pm on
Tuesday, 6 August and will be complete by 5am on Monday, 12 August. This
will take place at night only (5 Nights). Access to properties in this
area will be strictly limited and there will be a signed diversion in
place for the duration of the works. Park Lane and Cecil Avenue will be
closed at the junction of High Road whilst the works are in progress.
Phase 3
Park Lane – High Road to opposite 1 Park Court – Works will commence at
8pm on Monday, 12 August and will be complete by 5am on Thursday, 15
August. This will take place at night only (3 Nights). Access to
properties in this area will be strictly limited and there will be a
signed diversion in place for the duration of the works. Elm Road and
Dukes way will be closed at the junction of Park Lane whilst the works
are in progress. Please note – Taylor Swift returns to Wembley Stadium
on Thursday, 15 August so the works will not continue past 5am on
Thursday, 15 August so there will be no clash with the Stadium event.
Advanced warning signs have been deployed at key locations.
At the same time TfL have issued details of the closure of the Overground and Bakerloobetween Saturday 3rd August and Thursday 8th August.
Closure details
Between Saturday 3 and Thursday 8 August, these sections of line will be closed:
During the closure, there will be no London Overground service at
these stations: Euston, South Hampstead, Kilburn High Road, Queen's
Park, Kensal Green, Harlesden, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North
Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Harrow & Wealdstone, Headstone Lane,
Hatch End, Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford High Street and Watford
Junction
Tube stations
During the closure, there will be no Bakerloo line service at these
stations: Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Harlesden, Stonebridge Park,
Wembley Central, North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, and Harrow &
Wealdstone
Use buses to reach your destination or connect with alternative rail routes.
Alternative stations
There are connections to alternative Tube and rail lines. Stations with step-free access are indicated.
Central line - North Acton station
Metropolitan line: Wembley Park (step-free), Preston Road, Northwick Park and Harrow-on-the Hill (step-free)
Jubilee line - Wembley Park (step-free) and stations towards central London
London Overground - Willesden Junction (step-free)
London Northwestern Railway (West Midlands Trains) - Watford Junction, Bushey, and Harrow & Wealdstone
Bus connections
Additional temporary bus routes 718, 719, and 720 will be available during the closure period:
Route 718 will run between Queen's Park and Harrow &
Wealdstone via Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Harlesden Town Centre,
Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central, North Wembley, Preston Road, Kenton
(from first to last train times)
Route 719 will run between Queen's Park and Wembley Park (for the
Jubilee and Metropolitan lines), via Kensal Green, Willesden Junction,
Harlesden Town Centre, Stonebridge Park, Wembley Central (weekdays only,
07:30 to 20:30)
Route 720 will run between Watford Junction and Harrow-on-the-Hill
(for the Metropolitan line and Chiltern Railways), via Harrow &
Wealdstone, Headstone Lane, Hatch End, Carpenders Park, Bushey, Watford
High Street (from first to last train times)
All bus services offer step-free access.
Standard TfL bus fares apply. Always touch in using Oyster or contactless, or show a valid ticket when boarding the bus.
Comment received after publication:
If Wembley High Road and main roads off it (Ealing Road, Park Lane etc)
are closed from 8pm each evening to allow the resurfacing work to take
place then none of the usual bus routes (297, 83, 483, 79, 204, 182,
224, 223, 92) will be able to travel through Wembley High Road and
Ealing Road.
So no trains to Wembley Central and no local buses
either - Wembley Central and Alperton Residents will be badly affected
by this - particularly those travelling to work really early, those
working late, the elderly, and those who struggle to walk 😡
Let's hope the Piccadilly Line will be managed properly so that it runs efficiently during this time.
The fire at Petworth Court (Credit: London Fire Brigade)
Octavia Housing hit national headlines in January 2024 when Petworth Court, Elm Road, Wembley Central. It emerged that Barry Gardiner, MP, had repeatedly raised concersn about the block with Octavia with little response. The Fire Brigades Union warned of 'criminal complacency' on the part of the then government and some building firms regarding cladding.
Now the Regulator of Social Housing has issued a Regulator Judgement on Octavia Housing:
The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate, up
to date and evidenced understanding of the condition of their homes that
reliably informs their provision of good quality, well maintained and safe
homes for tenants. It also requires landlords to identify and meet all legal
requirements that relate to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and
communal areas, and that all required actions arising from legally required
health and safety assessments are carried out within appropriate timescales.
Following a serious fire at one of its properties in January 2024 and wider
review of its landlord health and safety compliance, Octavia
made a self-referral to us in respect of fire, electrical and gas safety.
Having sought further information including assurances on other areas of
building safety, we have concluded that there are serious failings in the
oversight, management, and delivery in several areas of Octavia’s
landlord health and safety responsibilities.
London Fire Brigade has issued Notifications of Fire Safety Deficiencies in
respect of 13 of Octavia’s buildings since
May 2023. Octavia currently has over 1,200
overdue fire safety remedial actions categorised as either high or medium
priority and has failed to take sufficient steps to mitigate the potential
risks to tenants identified.
Octavia was unable to provide
sufficient assurance that it meets other landlord health and safety
requirements. Octavia has failed to hold
complete and accurate records to confirm where health and safety inspections
are required, whether they had been carried out within legally required or
recommended timescales, and whether smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are
installed as legally required.
Octavia has been proactive in engaging
external support, increasing staff resource, and creating improvement plans to
increase its oversight of its health and safety compliance. It is currently
undertaking investigations to identify and address gaps in its records, develop
an effective programme of health and safety assessments and confirm the full
extent of remedial actions required to meet all legal requirements.
Octavia has reported that it recognises
that it can deliver its purpose more effectively by joining another landlord
and following the September 2023 Regulatory Judgement has been progressing the
work needed to achieve this. Ahead of this being delivered Octavia
has been able to draw on significant support from its preferred partner
landlord to deliver the improvements required.
Our engagement with Octavia will
continue to be intensive. We will seek evidence that gives us assurance that Octavia
is making sufficient progress on its investigations and delivery of its
improvement programme so that it is meeting its health and safety legal
requirements and delivering the outcomes of our standards. We are not proposing
to use our enforcement powers at this stage but will keep this under review as Octavia
seeks to resolve these issues. Our priority will be that risks to tenants are
adequately managed and mitigated.
The housing provider that Octavia was engaged in partnership talks with is Abri that itself has been subjected to a finding of severe maladminstration in two cases by the Housing Ombudsman. This caused Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State to write in December 2023:
In one case, you left one of your residents
with faulty windows for almost five years, with the resident waiting up to a
year to hear from you on multiple occasions. They were left with a cold
property in the winter and issues with insects during the summer. I am
disappointed to learn that these issues became so severe that she was forced to
leave the property.
In the second case, you failed to deal with a
complaint about damp and mould from a vulnerable resident with a heart
condition and who is registered blind. You carried out the same ineffective
repairs year after year, and failed to address the root causes, leaving your
vulnerable resident living in poor conditions for far too long.
When your residents report an issue, and
especially when vulnerable people are involved, it must be acted upon swiftly
and effectively. The tragic death of Awaab Ishak has shown that we must not be
complacent about issues that risk residents’ health.
I understand you have addressed all the
orders and recommendations made by the Ombudsman, including overhauling your
approach, processes and policies regarding damp and mould. I expect the changes
to make a significant difference to the service you deliver to your residents.
AFTER
TAKING THEIR CAMPAIGN TO PARLIAMENT AND THE DFE IN ELECTION WEEK, UNION MEMBERS
AT BYRON COURT SCHOOL SECURE MEETING WITH BRIDGET PHILLIPSON
NEU members at Byron
Court Primary School, who have now taken 16 days of strike action to try to
stop their school being taken over by HARRIS FEDERATION may have earned a
reprieve. The new Education Secretary has agreed to pause the process whilst a
meeting is arranged. STRIKES CONTINUE THIS FRIDAY AND MONDAY 22ND
JULY in a “LAST PUSH” to stop the privatisation.
The school’s forced “academy order” follows an
intimidating Ofsted inspection which, for staff, had parallels with the
experience of Ruth Perry and resulted in the same “inadequate” one word
judgement. The new Labour government have pledged to get rid of Ofsted one word
judgements and the hope is that they might now intervene and revoke the academy
order to keep this as a community school.
BYRON COURT SCHOOL
HAS PUBLISHED A REPORT TO PARENTS SHOWING RAPID IMPROVEMENT SINCE THE
INSPECTION PLUS STRONG DATA RESULTS WITH YEAR 6 SATS ABOVE THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE.
Jenny Cooper of the NEU national executive has
stated:
We
feel we could be winning this campaign. We have secured an agreement to meet
with Bridget Phillipson and have been assured that there will be no academy
transfer before this occurs. Well done to all our members and parents for
persisting with fighting this injustice.
Cllr Sunita Hirani (Kenton) has posted a Tweet re yesterday's flood warning about potential flooding in Kenton (and Wealdstone and Wembley) after heavy rain last night.
She said:
I
have been informed this evening that there were no reported floodings in the
Kenton area of the Wealdstone Brook yesterday (Monday 15th July 2024) evening.
The Environment Agency issued a flood warning for the area of Kenton around the
Wealdstone Brook at around 8 pm (Monday 15th July 2024) for potential
flooding in the area at around 9pm. My videos taken at about that time show the
Brook coping with the volume of water and no flooding on the road around
Lindsay Drive roundabout.
Maybe, just maybe, someone, somewhere, will actually
admit the fact that the work we did - the Brook Way Community Biodiversity
Project CIC, in conjunction with Thames Water, at Lindsay Drive roundabout in
clearing the dead, decaying and diseased trees, trunks and branches, actually
contributed to avoiding a flooding disaster in the Kenton area yesterday
evening.
Brent Liberal Democrats have launched an e-petition calling for local people to have a voice in Wembley National Stadium Limited's bid to run more large events at the stadium:
We the undersigned petition
the council to Consult and to Listen to concerns of local residents and
businesses about the impact of increasing the number of "Large" Events
at Wembley Stadium
Plans for the new Wembley Stadium were approved in 1999 with a
limit of 37 Large Events per year. A few years later Brent Council
allowed an increase to 46 Large Events per year. The Stadium owners
have now applied for planning permission to increase this by
another 8 to 54 Large Events per year.
Large Events at the Stadium have a major impact on the lives of
local people and business - especially when as many as three events
are held on 3 successive days.
We call on Brent Council (jointly with representatives of the
FA) to carry out an extensive public consultation with Brent
residents and local businesses on the social and economic impacts
of Wembley Stadium Large scale events before the Planning
Application is considered by the Brent Council's Planning
Committee.
We believe that local people and businesses have the right to be
properly consulted and informed about these possible changes and
for their views to be assessed and documented before any decision
is made.
Started by: Paul Lorber (Brent Liberal Democrats)
This ePetition runs from 11/07/2024 to 22/08/2024.
River levels are rising rapidly on the Wealdstone
Brook due to heavy rainfall overnight tonight, Monday 15th July, and flooding
is expected when river levels are at their highest from 9:00pm.
Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the
Wealdstone Brook.
Further rain showers are forecast tomorrow, Tuesday
16th July, but no further flooding is expected and river levels should fall
from early morning.
We are monitoring rainfall and river levels and
checking rivers for blockages.
Residents are strongly urged to take action now.
Remain safe and be aware of your surroundings.
Monitor local water levels and weather conditions.
Consider putting your flood plan into action. You should avoid walking, cycling
or driving through flood water.
This message will be updated by 10am on Tuesday
16th July, or as the situation changes.
Flood warning area: The Wealdstone Brook at Kenton
including Wealdstone and Wembley.
