Public Meeting - Monday 22nd May - Report
On stage tonight we had Dave Robinson chairing, Charlie, Gemma, and Ian McGowan representing parents, and we had Cllr Tony Jones from Reading to give RBC's position. Also in the audience were both former MPs, Rob Wilson, and John Howell, as well as Reading Cllr and Labour candidate Matt Rodda, and Moira Green, the new head. There were some stirring speeches from the parents, teachers, local residents and other wonderful supportive people. I'm sorry, but I can't do their emotional content justice. It's safe to say that my hands hurt from applause. The key part for me was the fantastic recognition for Charlie and Gemma and all of the hard work they have done.
Anyway, the facts I took from the meeting are;
1) RBC's bottom line is that they want the school to continue, not close.
2) RBC are universally livid at OCC for the way they handled the consultation. In their opinion, it was unprecedented how quickly they moved from Ofsted report to closure consultation. Most local authorities spend a year or so improving the school and finding an academy partner, only consulting on closure as a last resort. To jump straight in before you have even notified the neighbouring council (who have 342 pupils at the school compared to 159 from OCC) is unheard of. And to do so when it is a rural school makes it even more remarkable.
3) As most people know, the deadline for the consultation has been extended. OCC didn't tell RBC though - they found out from parents.
4) RBC acknowledge that parents will not accept moving their children from CE to south Reading schools. They say it could just be possible to squeeze everyone in today across all of the schools in Reading and Wokingham, but that it's unacceptable to ship kids there, and they won't be proposing that. It also won't be possible to fit future bulge classes in there anyway.
5) RBC will be meeting with OCC tomorrow to discuss, and the outcome of the meeting will be on Tony Jones's blog (http://jonesindep.blogspot.co.uk/), and the RBC page.
6) RBC are very aware that of the 200+ statutory obligations placed on them for education, the top two are providing a quality education (which they find increasingly difficult since education is now handled by private academy trusts, not them), and providing enough school places. Tony Jones said it would be cynical of him to speculate that OCC may not have cared about the difficulty of finding places for the 342 kids who did not live within their borders, or that the potential £50m value of the site had anything to do with their actions.
7) RBC have started talking to lawyers about judicially reviewing the decision should OCC decide to push ahead with closure.
8) John Howell and Rob Wilson were very supportive of the campaign, and both say they are committed to the future of the school. Both are speaking to potential sponsors, who they can't divulge because it is confidential. There is real interest out there. They say there is a disconnect between OCC political leadership, who want the school to stay open, and OCC staff who are pushing ahead with the closure process.
9) Rob Wilson said it is not just about keeping the school open, but it is also about standards. He is committed to having the best possible education for our kids, on this site, whether they live in Reading or Oxfordshire. He has a letter from Martin Post, the Regional School's Commissioner, which he will publish tomorrow, but in reality because of the upcoming election, the purdah regulations prohibit him from saying much, so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that.
10) Moira Green had probably the most practical feedback of the evening which was;
a) We are really attractive to Academy Trusts. The government is saying they each need to be running 20 schools, or are not fit for business. That means there are a number of trusts looking for schools, and turning a school like ours from inadequate to good is a quick win for them.
b) She hasn't officially started yet, but when she does (1st week of June) she will publish an action plan which. As part of that, she will ensure that the school is not in deficit, which will also remove an obstacle to becoming an academy.
c) There is a rumour that the school has to close if it is to be come an academy. That is technically true, but it closes one evening as Chiltern Edge Maintained School and opens the next morning as Chiltern Edge Academy School, with the same pupils and staff. It's like when Heelas became John Lewis - you'll miss the old name, but it's still the same place.
d) Keep calm and don't move your kids - the action plan coming in the 1st week of June will give you some actual facts about what will be done to turn the school round.
e) Our support as parents is key to the school's success too - academy chains love schools with parents who care. A school is a triangle of Students, Teachers and Parents. As long as we all stay strong, the school is invincible.
Lastly, there was a call to action from Mr. Robinson;
• Get 3 friends to complete the council's consultation (https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/…/ChilternEdgeClos…), saying why the closure is bad. The more people complain, the harder it is to ignore.
• Write to the council too
• Sign the petition (https://www.change.org/p/oxfordshire-local-authority-save-c…)
• Keep making positive noise and being visible.
• Support the Save Our Edge campaign (http://saveouredge.weebly.com/help.html), financially, by turning up to protests, by leafleting, by helping out, or in any way you can.
Anyway, the facts I took from the meeting are;
1) RBC's bottom line is that they want the school to continue, not close.
2) RBC are universally livid at OCC for the way they handled the consultation. In their opinion, it was unprecedented how quickly they moved from Ofsted report to closure consultation. Most local authorities spend a year or so improving the school and finding an academy partner, only consulting on closure as a last resort. To jump straight in before you have even notified the neighbouring council (who have 342 pupils at the school compared to 159 from OCC) is unheard of. And to do so when it is a rural school makes it even more remarkable.
3) As most people know, the deadline for the consultation has been extended. OCC didn't tell RBC though - they found out from parents.
4) RBC acknowledge that parents will not accept moving their children from CE to south Reading schools. They say it could just be possible to squeeze everyone in today across all of the schools in Reading and Wokingham, but that it's unacceptable to ship kids there, and they won't be proposing that. It also won't be possible to fit future bulge classes in there anyway.
5) RBC will be meeting with OCC tomorrow to discuss, and the outcome of the meeting will be on Tony Jones's blog (http://jonesindep.blogspot.co.uk/), and the RBC page.
6) RBC are very aware that of the 200+ statutory obligations placed on them for education, the top two are providing a quality education (which they find increasingly difficult since education is now handled by private academy trusts, not them), and providing enough school places. Tony Jones said it would be cynical of him to speculate that OCC may not have cared about the difficulty of finding places for the 342 kids who did not live within their borders, or that the potential £50m value of the site had anything to do with their actions.
7) RBC have started talking to lawyers about judicially reviewing the decision should OCC decide to push ahead with closure.
8) John Howell and Rob Wilson were very supportive of the campaign, and both say they are committed to the future of the school. Both are speaking to potential sponsors, who they can't divulge because it is confidential. There is real interest out there. They say there is a disconnect between OCC political leadership, who want the school to stay open, and OCC staff who are pushing ahead with the closure process.
9) Rob Wilson said it is not just about keeping the school open, but it is also about standards. He is committed to having the best possible education for our kids, on this site, whether they live in Reading or Oxfordshire. He has a letter from Martin Post, the Regional School's Commissioner, which he will publish tomorrow, but in reality because of the upcoming election, the purdah regulations prohibit him from saying much, so I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for that.
10) Moira Green had probably the most practical feedback of the evening which was;
a) We are really attractive to Academy Trusts. The government is saying they each need to be running 20 schools, or are not fit for business. That means there are a number of trusts looking for schools, and turning a school like ours from inadequate to good is a quick win for them.
b) She hasn't officially started yet, but when she does (1st week of June) she will publish an action plan which. As part of that, she will ensure that the school is not in deficit, which will also remove an obstacle to becoming an academy.
c) There is a rumour that the school has to close if it is to be come an academy. That is technically true, but it closes one evening as Chiltern Edge Maintained School and opens the next morning as Chiltern Edge Academy School, with the same pupils and staff. It's like when Heelas became John Lewis - you'll miss the old name, but it's still the same place.
d) Keep calm and don't move your kids - the action plan coming in the 1st week of June will give you some actual facts about what will be done to turn the school round.
e) Our support as parents is key to the school's success too - academy chains love schools with parents who care. A school is a triangle of Students, Teachers and Parents. As long as we all stay strong, the school is invincible.
Lastly, there was a call to action from Mr. Robinson;
• Get 3 friends to complete the council's consultation (https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/…/ChilternEdgeClos…), saying why the closure is bad. The more people complain, the harder it is to ignore.
• Write to the council too
• Sign the petition (https://www.change.org/p/oxfordshire-local-authority-save-c…)
• Keep making positive noise and being visible.
• Support the Save Our Edge campaign (http://saveouredge.weebly.com/help.html), financially, by turning up to protests, by leafleting, by helping out, or in any way you can.
Oxfordshire county council consultation
The Oxfordshire County Council consultation runs until the 30th June. If you want to help save the school please respond to the consultation and let them know your thoughts. This can be done the following ways:
Online: https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/consult.ti/ChilternEdgeClosure/consultationHome
Email: [email protected]
Written Response: Sending a written response to the county council. You can leave this at the Reception office of Chiltern Edge School, or Post to Education Sufficiency & Access, Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND, marking your envelope CHILTERN EDGE CONSULTATION
Please respond as soon as possible to ensure your thoughts are heard.
Online: https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/consult.ti/ChilternEdgeClosure/consultationHome
Email: [email protected]
Written Response: Sending a written response to the county council. You can leave this at the Reception office of Chiltern Edge School, or Post to Education Sufficiency & Access, Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND, marking your envelope CHILTERN EDGE CONSULTATION
Please respond as soon as possible to ensure your thoughts are heard.