Monday 11 November 2013

Deptford a New School plan was launched on Saturday. It will be a Free School. This is my feed back.

On Saturday Citizen School held an open awareness day in Deptford.
Over the next 10 years the need for school places according to the schools minister will rise by 73% with the massive number of new builds going up the figure could be a greater, although my personal view is that with the new rent cap and rising rents local families with children will increasingly be priced out of Deptford and Lewisham Borough.
Citizen School will be a free school, and People Before Profit position on this is clear, we oppose free  and academy schools, but if we have a real need for Schools in Lewisham and the only way we can get a school due to Goverment policy is by having a free school what should we do?
On Saturday i was impressed by the teachers, local parents and members of the team working on this project that could open as early as 2015.
Many have not forgot the bitterness caused by the Head of Tidemills school who ignored the community, Parents, Councilllors and our MP in railroading through an Academy, this experince has lead to very real concerns of trust and lack of faith from the community, and yet on Saturday many of the residents active in opposition to Tidemills change could be seen here, fighting to insure the School is truly accountable and open to the whole community, that the Teachers can have union membership and that the school is for the local families and not only to serve the interests of the people moving into the endless new built homes going up .
My Partner is a School teacher and was impressed with the team having personally thaught one of the team members, the School plans to take people from 2-18 years and would open earlier than most schools in the morning, and stay open later in the evenings offering a huge range of skills from latin to music, parents are justly concerned that for years consultation  in Deptford has always been about telling people what Labour Party intends to do, and this has lead to massive distrust, i have an open mind, see for yourself; citizenschool.org.uk
 Ask the Questions. Make up your mind.  Tell me what you think!
With 2014 Local Elections and Deptford and New Cross wards seats People Before Profit expect to win. we hope that unlike the past 40 years of Labour Control and neglict of Deptford it will be transformed for ever with our Councillors, but to represent you, we need to state our party position whilst listerning and acting upon your concerns .You would not expect People Before Profit Councillors to do anything else.
You can Follow Ray on Twitter@Raywoolford

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