most of you will have heard of this today [School choices]

[Publius Ovidius]

The Feared Outcome

At least 3 secondary schools are seriously considering opting out of the LEA by becoming Foundation Schools, thereby controlling their own admissions policy. [/B]

Good...as a former school govenor, I have seen at first hand how this organisation is there for the benefit of itself, not the schools.

 

[Titanic]

Good...as a former school govenor, I have seen at first hand how this organisation is there for the benefit of itself, not the schools.

As a former Chair of Governors, in West Sussex, I completely refute this statement.

The LEA (or Children's Services as they are now known) were a fantastic support in the appointments process for new deputy and head teachers, also in premises development and in their education and training program for governors.

Obviously some of these services could be bought from elsewhere, but as volunteer school governors, having a well-considered and high quality service, readily available, was absolutely essential to enable us to concentrate on the issues facing our school.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

'faith' schools or at least those that cost me my taxpayers money should be banned instantly, they are the cause of most of our educational problems.

why should i subsidise a CoE or catholic school which my own kids are, by my own anti-religious views, or the school's bigotry, denied to me?

in practice 'faith' school are nothing more than a middle class block on poorer and less 'faithful' kids getting a decent education. they are a disgrace.

and finally i declare no personal interest as i'm lucky enough to be able to pay.

I'm sorry, but this is utter, utter bollocks, and I think unless you wish to look into the mechanics of it more accurately, then you should look up 'bigot' in the dictionary before you write anything more about it.

I'm sure you may find individual cases, yes, but the faith schools are not state governed or wholly state funded. In a large proportion of cases the situation is that the school itself is owned by the church diocese, or a trust, and whilst the per head payment for education is made by the LEA as it would be at any other non fee-paying school, the costs of running and maintaining the school are met by the diocesian building fund [with a minimum 10% contribution by the parents, in our particular cases].

I object strongly to your, dare I say bigotted, view that all attendees at a catholic school are middle class. The catholic community [I should point out here that I am a 100% committed NON-believer, the wife's the one with the Irish blood] is increasing hugely year on year because of an influx of immigration from largely Catholic parts of the third world [and Poland].

My children's primary school is a small Catholic school in an unremarkable [middle class?] town just outside Southampton, with just 150 kids.

In my younger boy's class alone, there are kids from Poland, St.Lucia, Grenada, Singapore, Ireland, South Africa, India, Iran and Scotland. It really is not what you paint it to be.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

You do have a point hans - catholic schools do not draw their intake from wholly middle class areas. This was certainly not my experience.

 

[aftershavedave]

thanks for the lesson on the meaning of bigotry.

why should a faith school receive any funding whatever?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

As a former Chair of Governors, in West Sussex, I completely refute this statement.

The LEA (or Children's Services as they are now known) were a fantastic support in the appointments process for new deputy and head teachers, also in premises development and in their education and training program for governors.

Obviously some of these services could be bought from elsewhere, but as volunteer school governors, having a well-considered and high quality service, readily available, was absolutely essential to enable us to concentrate on the issues facing our school.

you obviously had a better experience than we did. maybe West Sussex is run differently to Brighton and Hove

 

[hans kraay fan club]

why should a faith school receive any funding whatever?

Why shouldn't they?

These children need to be educated like any others, and the government is saving money for every single one that goes to a school where somebody else is picking up the tab for keeping the building and facilities going.

They are saving YOU money, and they are not inconveniencing you or your children in any way, shape or form. If they ceased to exist overnight, that would affect you how?

I'll tell you; they would be another load of kids to squeeze into the classes at your kids school. And when the catholic refugees from Somalia and the economic migrants from Poland continue to pour in, they will take their places at your kids school too.

And before you offer the counter argument that you wouldn't close them down, you'd make them normal schools available to all, you'd better first find the billions of pounds required to buy the sites and run the buildings.

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

Why shouldn't you be expected to take your kids to school in the area in which you live?

Well yes I'd like that. But I live in Brighton, right by Preston Park station and about 1 kilomtere from Stringer / Varnedean, but I'm in the catchment area for Blatchington Mill and Hove Park. How does that work?

When we moved back to Brighton we were within 100 yards of Balfour, but our year six kid was allocated Stanford. We moved closer to Stanford (by PP station) and THEN our youngest didn't get in to Stanford, but was allocated Balfour Infants. Blafour Infants has 4 classes per year, Juniors have 3 so he has no chance of getting in to Balfour Juniors (too far away). Also little chance of getting into Stanford Juniors so will probably be allocated Hertford Juniors in Hollingbury. And then off to Blatch or Hove Park where he will not know anyone.

Good CHOICE we have there.

Some poor sod got so upset they actually comitted suicide over this a few years ago.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well yes I'd like that. But I live in Brighton, right by Preston Park station and about 1 kilomtere from Stringer / Varnedean, but I'm in the catchment area for Blatchington Mill and Hove Park. How does that work?

.

It clearly makes no sense at all, but on the bright side, both Hove Park and Blatch Mill are good schools. Hove Park Lower, btw is miles away from you at the bottom of Hangleton. Its only the upper school in Nevill Road.

 

[aftershavedave]

Why shouldn't they?

because i object to the state funding of religion. simple really.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

because i object to the state funding of religion. simple really.

But you don't object to the church funding state education?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Well yes I'd like that. But I live in Brighton, right by Preston Park station and about 1 kilomtere from Stringer / Varnedean, but I'm in the catchment area for Blatchington Mill and Hove Park. How does that work?

I wouldnt worry about Blatch Mill.....that is a very good school. Hove Park, is so so...

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

It clearly makes no sense at all, but on the bright side, both Hove Park and Blatch Mill are good schools. Hove Park Lower, btw is miles away from you at the bottom of Hangleton. Its only the upper school in Nevill Road.

I know and I am happy with that, but it does seem crazy that my son will be split up from his friends at Infant to Juniors and Juniors to Secondary. And to travel 3 miles to shcool (Hove Park lower) when there are 2 schools within a mile of me seems ridiculous also.

And that's just my personal gripe. The way that the good schools get the middle class pupils and the less good schools get the poorer, and statistically, harder to teach, children means the conitinuation of good getting better, bad getting worse.

 

[Man of Harveys]

But you don't object to the church funding state education?

Personally, I'd rather that the contributions that the church currently makes to schools came from the exchequer - other than actual teaching about it, religion should have no vested interest in education, in an ideal world - polluting young minds with all that crap.

Of course, I may be wrong but I believe we're ALL funding the C of E, just by paying taxes...and, unlike in Germany, you can't opt out of the "church tax" here.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I wouldnt worry about Blatch Mill.....that is a very good school. Hove Park, is so so...

Myself and my three siblings all went to Hove Park, right through to 6th Form.

Its 15 years ago that the last off us left, so I am clearly out of date, but we all got on well there. The teaching was fine, discipline was very good. We beat Blatch hands down at every sport too!

Blatch has an incerasingly good reputation. They have a brilliant Music and performing arts department. They were always considered strong in sciences. Our family home back then, was in Frant Road, literally the house next to the Blatch gates, so we had some knowledge of both schools. Discipline did not, in those days, seem to be all that great.

PS. I'm sure you'll get much better advice from people who went to the schools in the last decade!

By the way Hove Born and Bred went to HP, and he was set up well enough to earn gazzillions. I concede that you may not aspire for your children to end up like him though!

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Can someone fill me in on what's happened? As I understand itthe council has divided brighton into zones and allocated several schools to each zone. Students will be assigned to each school on a lottery basis. This is to ensure that all schools receive a mix of students. Is that right? If so, in principal it sounds o.k...

How are schools currently assigned students? I am/was catholic and so although living in Saltdean I went to Cardinal Newman. As the only catholic state school in town I didn't have to worry about having a choice of schools. Which leads me to my next question. Does Newman count as a faith school? If so, in response to whoever it was that was criticising them I'd like to point out that Newman draws it's students from all over town and indeed from outside of Brighton-lewes, peacehaven, seaford, newhaven etc. It's certainly not just for middle class kids.

Finally are stringer and varndean really the best schools in Brighton and Hove? Which are the worst? Does anyone have a table?

 

[tedebear]

Well yes I'd like that. But I live in Brighton, right by Preston Park station and about 1 kilomtere from Stringer / Varnedean, but I'm in the catchment area for Blatchington Mill and Hove Park. How does that work?

When we moved back to Brighton we were within 100 yards of Balfour, but our year six kid was allocated Stanford. We moved closer to Stanford (by PP station) and THEN our youngest didn't get in to Stanford, but was allocated Balfour Infants. Blafour Infants has 4 classes per year, Juniors have 3 so he has no chance of getting in to Balfour Juniors (too far away). Also little chance of getting into Stanford Juniors so will probably be allocated Hertford Juniors in Hollingbury. And then off to Blatch or Hove Park where he will not know anyone.

Good CHOICE we have there.

Some poor sod got so upset they actually comitted suicide over this a few years ago.

Have you been able to take anyone to task about these catchment areas then?

I'm starting to think I'm very lucky living where I do.

 

[Gwylan]

Can someone fill me in on what's happened? As I understand itthe council has divided brighton into zones and allocated several schools to each zone. Students will be assigned to each school on a lottery basis. This is to ensure that all schools receive a mix of students. Is that right? If so, in principal it sounds o.k...

If that were the case, there wouldn't be too many complaints. But in a nutshell, they've split Brighton up into several catchment areas and assigned one school per catchment area.

For the posh area around Preston Park and the Labour voters of Hanover, they've assigned two schools: DS and Varndean and instigated a lottery system so, if you don't get in the first, then you'll get in the second.

The whole process has been designed to prevent schools getting a mix of pupils. So, the middle class schools will become more middle class and the lower performings schools will draw their intake from the estates.

 

[tedebear]

If that were the case, there wouldn't be too many complaints. But in a nutshell, they've split Brighton up into several catchment areas and assigned one school per catchment area.

So is the problem that there are too many children within the catchment areas for the schools that are allocated to that area?

 

[Gwylan]

So is the problem that there are too many children within the catchment areas for the schools that are allocated to that area?

No, it's that DS and Varndean tend to be oversubscribed and the others aren't. As everyone and his dog wants to go to these, they've limited the catchment area to the posh places.