 North End Ward’s Conservative candidates for May’s local elections being held on 6th May, 2010 have welcomed the announcements made at last night’s Council meeting concerning the future for Slade Green Infants and Junior Schools.
Christine Bishop, Ahmet Dourmoush and Chris Tugwell heard Cllr. Simon Windle, Cabinet Member for Schools, tell all Council Members of the desire for two new aspects to education in Slade Green that will offer the chance of a more prosperous future for local children. The first is a joint Expression of Interest that has already been submitted to the DCSF seeking approval to hold a consultation to allow the schools to become part of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation and ensure that Year 6 pupils at Slade Green have an automatic right to take a place at the new Crayford Academy. The second is to reconfigure both schools into one Primary School as part of the redevelopment of the Howbury site at some appropriate time in the future.
Speaking after the Council meeting, Ahmet Dourmoush commented ‘For far too long, the children of Slade Green have been disadvantaged in their educational opportunities. Both of these proposals will offer each and every child an aspiration that will be equally as good as anywhere else in the Borough.’
Chrstine Bishop and Chris Tugwell added ‘The Howbury site is a key aspect of the Council’s Bexley First project to run Bexley as efficiently as possible. The opportunity to consider the area as a whole and integrate school and community facilities to provide the most viable options for the site is wonderful. We will be campaigning to secure the best possible facilities for residents that we can for the area.’
Notes:
(1) The joint Expression of Interest (EoI) to seek approval to hold a consultation for Slade Green Infants and Junior Schools to become part of the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation was submitted to the Secretary of State on 22nd January, 2010. It is not known when a decision will be reached. A consultation period within Bexley will then be held if the EoI receives approval.
(2) Possible plans to rebuild Slade Green Infants and Junior Schools were approved as part of the Primary Capital Programme approved at Public Cabinet on 8th December, 2009.
(3) A consultation on the community facilities for the Howbury site will run until 30th April, 2010. The results of the consultation will be analysed and reported later in 2010.
(4) The Howbury site is a long-term aspect of Bexley First and it is anticipated, at the earliest, that any building of housing will not start until 2011/12. The timing of any new school and community facilities is dependent on the outcome of the consultation.
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