Topic: | Bijou School set for White City location....... | Forum Home |
Posted by: | Iain Muir | |
Date/Time: | 18/01/11 11:46:00 |
Not quite what prospective parents expected but Toby School will be based ‘temporarily’ at The Bryony Centre, Bryony Rd, W12 0SP, right next door to The Phoenix High School. LBHF are making the site available pending eviction of the 20 voluntary groups currently occupying Palingswick House in King St W6 and subsequent sale to the school for conversion and presumably some new build. See the WLFS piece - https://www.westlondonfreeschool.co.uk/blog/site-update.html This will require planning permission and I imagine quite a lengthy time so the ‘temporary’ period could well extend into the second year intake in Sept 2012 and quite possibly year 3 in 2013. Several problems arise for Toby and Co: The White City location might appear to have the advantage of its closeness to the Phoenix High School and the expertise of its staff but a couple of prospective parents have already expressed concern as to their children travelling to the area as opposed to W6. (See the comments under the LBHF Press Release - http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/News/Council_supports_free_schools_search_for_site.asp ) The Bryony centre is intended for demolition and will presumably need considerable work to be fit even for a ‘temporary’ use by two year groups. Palingswick House is also in poor condition and even with a new build in the rear yard seems a rather small site for a school of 650/750 pupils with minimal play space. The group’s involvement with LBHF’s controversial policy of selling off buildings used by the Voluntary Sector is also an embarrassment, see the Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/17/young-free-school-groups-refugees By co-incidence a play ‘Little Platoons’ covering the issue of a group of West London parents setting up a ‘free school’ opens at The Bush Theatre tomorrow. I gather it is not sympathetic, so much so that Toby is involved in producing a response, to be performed on three nights in February. I almost feel sorry for Toby, so many difficulties en route to his ‘comprehensive grammar’...... |