Will Lambeth say YES to the Mandela School?

[clandestino]

Why can't they turn the Old Strand School back into a school? Admittedly that would be right near me as well but at least I wouldn't have twalk past it every day

Or the school on Elm Park?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Having a school that fronts right onto the Brixton Hill Raceway??

That's a recipe for disaster. Might as well plan to have an ambulance permanently parked outside or to install a mini A&E Dept in the school to deal with the inevitable road accidents.

Very good point. Lambeth's answer to that would be to put more speed cameras up and maybe a speed hump or two

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

What a fantastic idea. Such a safe road for such a big school to be built on. Also, thankfully, with it being such a quiet road it will easilly absorb the school run traffic and will cause no hassle whatsoever. I think it's just what is called for around here.

Hadn't thought about where all those 4x4s will park

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Or the school on Elm Park?

Yes, that's what I meant

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

But a school is needed. All of the schools around me are CofE or Catholic schools. As we're not religious, we don't stand a chance of getting in. I'm sure there are loads of other people in a similar position.

I agree, though, having it right on the road is asking for trouble.

I know lots of non-religious people who go to church for a year just to get their kids in school. Once the kid's in, they stop going

 

[twistedAM]

I know lots of non-religious people who go to church for a year just to get their kids in school. Once the kid's in, they stop going

yeah but that shouldn't be the case

all education should be secular

 

[Dan U]

In fact, they may as well stick up a Sainsburys or Tescos if they're going to have that

yet another bland identikit design from the 'building schools for the future' programme.

these new schools have been getting very bad operational reports once built too.

all 'style' no substance. meanwhile perfectly serviceable old school buildings get turned in to yuppy flats or flattened to build some building like the above that is incongrous to it's surroundings.

go Brown.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

all 'style' no substance. meanwhile perfectly serviceable old school buildings get turned in to yuppy flats or flattened to build some building like the above that is incongrous to it's surroundings.

go Brown.

Why can't they build a little school on the old dole office in Coldharbour Lane?

 

[Dan U]

Why can't they build a little school on the old dole office in Coldharbour Lane?

i don't object to the location massively. if it isn't a school it will be yuppie flats which will look the same as the school. although the main road/school arguement is a valid one.

it's the fricking eyesore and piss poor design i dislike most.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

i don't object to the location massively. if it isn't a school it will be yuppie flats which will look the same as the school. although the main road/school arguement is a valid one.

it's the fricking eyesore and piss poor design i dislike most.

yeah, like I said, it's too tall and it's too far forward. It needs to be set back with a nice big fence around caging them in

What's more, would the prisoners not be able to see them playing on their field and get excited. I don't think that's a good idea. What's more, what if the Waterworks flooded

 

[Dan U]

yeah, like I said, it's too tall and it's too far forward. It needs to be set back with a nice big fence around caging them in

and muffle all children

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

and muffle all children

Definitely, and make sure they're not allowed out at lunchtimes so they can go committing any burglaries or muggings

 

[Bob]

Why can't they build a little school on the old dole office in Coldharbour Lane?

It's being turned into flats by a social housing organisation.

 

[lang rabbie]

Having just seen Zaha Hadid's proposed design for the East Brixton academy for the first time, the blandness of this proposed building for the Brixton Hill site suddenly appears curiously reassuring.

 

[slcr]

Blergh, it's absolutely hideous. I just don't want a school on the hill at all. Purely selfish NIMBY instincts coming out, I think, but I'm not going to try and defend them

 

[OpalFruit]

"I have to say, Brixton/Lambeth desperately needs good secondary schools and I think that's a good location for one - the kids in this area have a shocking deal. Of course, some of the more genteel dwellers in the "Sudbourne catchment area" might feel differently! "

I think that it is exactly the parents of children at Sudbourne and other nearby schools who want this school - partly because of the lack of local secondary schools, and partly (if dark mutterings bear truth) because the more genteel hill-dwellers (enjoying the sylvan atmosphere, nightingales etc etc) do not want to send their children to the metropolis of Central Brixton.

The building is hideously bland - but doesn't seem taller the buildings on either side. And as for the 4x4s doing the school run - no self-respecting yoot is going to be dropped off by his/her Mum, and the 4x4s in this area are not used by the yummy mummy school-run stereotype of Dulwich Village but are pimped up drugmobiles.

 

[gaijingirl]

It would be good if those parents who are lucky enough to have their children attending a successful primary school became actively involved in the running of a new secondary school. But, I don`t really understand this thing about them not wanting to send their children to the metropolis of Central Brixton... there`s no school in central Brixton?? Most of those kids would have to take buses up the hill to Croydon schools, or out west to Wandsworth schools. A few lucky ones might get into some of the better voluntary aided Kensington and Chelsea schools.

I actually met a woman (who was doing a PGCE at the same time as me) who maintains two addresses ~ one here in London, for her daughter in primary and a second in Wiltshire where she sends her son to secondary school!

 

[OpalFruit]

Gaijingirl: I think the implication was that the Parents on The Hill didn't want to send their children to the new Academy in Shakespeare rd.

Perhaps they had seen a preview of the design.

But, as you say, there were plenty of children from Sudbourne who didn't get any secondary school place at all a couple of years ago - they featured some of them in the S London Press.

The mutterings came from now-deposed libDem politicians in response to parents opposition to the Shakespeare Rd School (when much was made of it's rubbish-dump history) in favour of the Brixton hill location on a then unsecured site.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

"I have to say, Brixton/Lambeth desperately needs good secondary schools and I think that's a good location for one - the kids in this area have a shocking deal. Of course, some of the more genteel dwellers in the "Sudbourne catchment area" might feel differently! "

I think that it is exactly the parents of children at Sudbourne and other nearby schools who want this school - partly because of the lack of local secondary schools, and partly (if dark mutterings bear truth) because the more genteel hill-dwellers (enjoying the sylvan atmosphere, nightingales etc etc) do not want to send their children to the metropolis of Central Brixton.

The building is hideously bland - but doesn't seem taller the buildings on either side. And as for the 4x4s doing the school run - no self-respecting yoot is going to be dropped off by his/her Mum, and the 4x4s in this area are not used by the yummy mummy school-run stereotype of Dulwich Village but are pimped up drugmobiles.

genteel Hill-dwellers

I like that

It's not the height so much, it's how far forward it is. It needs to be set right back from the pavement (and caged in) so us genteel folk can feel secure

 

[Winot]

I think that it is exactly the parents of children at Sudbourne and other nearby schools who want this school - partly because of the lack of local secondary schools, and partly (if dark mutterings bear truth) because the more genteel hill-dwellers (enjoying the sylvan atmosphere, nightingales etc etc) do not want to send their children to the metropolis of Central Brixton.

We have moved in the last year to (we hope) the Sudbourne catchment area as we have a 2 year old and another on the way. And yes we are middle class and did pay more to do so. Sorry. (Not sure about genteel though.)

What's noticeable is that there are families moving in to the area to take advantage of the primary schools then moving out when their kids are 8 or 9 because of the lack of secondary school provision. Like many parents we just want a decent, local, secular, state seconday school to send our children to. We've been living in Brixton for 13 years, love the place and want to bring up our family here. Don't mind if it's on Shakespeare Rd or Brixton Hill. Don't like academies for the reasons set out by others, but we're not going to cut off our nose to spite our face. Reserving judgement on the Hadid design - agree it doesn't look great in the artist's impression (shades of the Barrier Block?) but may just be a crap drawing. Better a risky design which might work than the bland nonentity suggested for the Brixton Hill location.

[Edit to correct "secondary" to "primary".]

 

[OpalFruit]

We have moved in the last year to (we hope) the Sudbourne catchment area as we have a 2 year old and another on the way. And yes we are middle class and did pay more to do so. Sorry. (Not sure about genteel though.)

What's noticeable is that there are families moving in to the area to take advantage of the secondary schools then moving out when their kids are 8 or 9 because of the lack of secondary school provision. Like many parents we just want a decent, local, secular, state seconday school to send our children to. We've been living in Brixton for 13 years, love the place and want to bring up our family here. Don't mind if it's on Shakespeare Rd or Brixton Hill. Don't like academies for the reasons set out by others, but we're not going to cut off our nose to spite our face. Reserving judgement on the Hadid design - agree it doesn't look great in the artist's impression (shades of the Barrier Block?) but may just be a crap drawing. Better a risky design which might work than the bland nonentity suggested for the Brixton Hill location.

Yes. I think your experience matches many many people's. And it isn't down to class - everyone is concerned about secondary schools in lambeth - availability AND quality. The class-on-the-hill issue is a red herring raised by the previous adminsiration in response to parents demands to have a school on Brixton Hill.

Though 3 new schools in Shakespeare Rd, Brixton Hill and Elmgreen at Tulse Hill might be more than enough - especially as Elmgreen in v close to Dunraven. What they need to be is good. With relatively small intakes so that the students feel like individuals. In my opinion.

I do agree that it should be set back more from the road.

Good luck with your Sudbourne admission Winot - it is a v v tight catchment - but doubtless you know that. And are they enlarging the school a bit?

 

[normskii]

I find some of the comments about the design of the school rather odd. How can you comment on a school design when all you've seen is a projected picture of the facade of the building?

Isn't the build quality, levels of noise and natural light, how kids move around the school and so on much more important?

The outside of the building looks like a pretty standard facade for a modern school. Thats just what buildings look like these days.

I'd be more concerned with the people running it, who seem to be some sort of chain organisation and have a political leader as their figurehead.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I find some of the comments about the design of the school rather odd. How can you comment on a school design when all you've seen is a projected picture of the facade of the building?

Isn't the build quality, levels of noise and natural light, how kids move around the school and so on much more important?
.

No

 

[lang rabbie]

I find some of the comments about the design of the school rather odd. How can you comment on a school design when all you've seen is a projected picture of the facade of the building?

Isn't the build quality, levels of noise and natural light, how kids move around the school and so on much more important?

The outside of the building looks like a pretty standard facade for a modern school. Thats just what buildings look like these days.

Actually, I agree with that. The problem for all the proposed school sites - and a particular difficulty for Brixton Hill - is that they are trying to fit a quart into a pint pot. Because the waterworks are still operational, the land available for building on is very limited, and this almost certainly requires the school building to be four storeys in height.

It makes some sense to put the school building next to the road, so that the play area is sheltered from the traffic noise and pollution, and also so that the building itself acts as the security cordon to stop kids truanting. However, this then severely limits other elements of the school design. Rooms facing Brixton Hill would presumably need to be triple glazed for soundproofing, and the scope for natural ventilation would be limited.

I can't work out why the campaigners think that releasing that particular image now takes their campaign forward. It's been artfully done to hide the set back fourth floor. But will this mean some people will protest when the planning drawings come out showing a four storey building?

They could at least have included a row of new trees in front of the building on the five yard strip of land between the back of the pavement and the building line to soften the appearance.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

They could at least have included a row of new trees in front of the building on the five yard strip of land between the back of the pavement and the building line to soften the appearance.

Oh, you couldn't do that. Young schoolkids will hide behind the trees ready to pounce out and mug old grannies