Heartlands school must open on time (From Haringey Independent)

Heartlands school must open on time

1:20pm Wednesday 11th March 2009 in Education By Elizabeth Pears

A secondary school set to open in 2010 must be completed on time to fix Haringey’s school places crisis, critics have warned.

For the fifth year in a row, more Haringey pupils than ever are missing out on their first choice of secondary school.

Figures released last week show only 66 per cent of 11-year-olds have received their first preference.

This is one per cent less than those who started school in 2008, and four per cent less than Year 7 pupils in 2007.

With pupil numbers in the borough’s primary schools rising, the worrying trend could worsen.

Haringey Council hopes the school, Heartlands High, set to open its doors in September 2010, will offer its young people more choice and ease overcrowding.

Gail Engert, Liberal Democrat children’s spokeswoman, said: "Yet again the percentage of families whose children did not gain either their first or second choice of school has continued to climb despite a fall in the number applying.

She added: "It’s now essential that the new school opens on time in September 2010. It’s regrettable that Haringey did not programme to open the school in 2008 so as to ease this problem earlier."

Planning permission was approved on January 19 this year and an application process to find a headteacher to fill the £98,000-year post is close to completion.

The £26million comprehensive will specialise in art and media and have space for 1080 mixed pupils aged between 11-16, with specialist resources for young people with autism.

But this still does not help the 177 primary school pupils who did not receive any of their six preferences, though this was an improvement on last year, where 200 pupils were left without a place.

The worst affected ward was White Hart Lane, with 22 Year 6 pupils having to attend a school they did not choose.

In Fortis Green, Muswell Hill and Alexandra wards, home to two of the borough’s top-performing schools, Alexandra Park, Bidwell Gardens, and Fortismere, Creighton Avenue, only six children missed out.

Despite the five-year low, the newly-appointed cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Lorna Reith, said: "Two thirds of parents were offered a place for their child at their first choice of school, with the vast majority being offered one of their top three options.

"Haringey schools continue to be both successful and popular."

With 86.4 per cent of all Haringey pupils getting one of their top three choices, the borough falls just below the London average of 87 per cent.

National Offers Day, March 2, came in the same week as a consultation regarding plans to extend Fortismere School’s admissions policy in 2010, closed.

The proposal would introduce selection by musical aptitude for up to 10 per cent of applicants and could exacerbate education inequalities within the borough, campaigners against the proposals said.

Keep Fortismere Comprehensive, set up in 2007, to contest the school’s successful application for Foundation status, has urged governors to withdraw the proposal arguing it was a "fundamental breach of trust between the governing body and the community".

Keeping the current admission criteria was one of the assurances made by governors at the time of the bid.

A spokesman added: "The proposal paves the way for further selection using different aptitudes. Music this year, perhaps mathematics next year?"