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School places Rachel Gardener, spokesperson for Brent Council accuses opponents of the Wembley Academy of putting out misleading information (MP steps into school row amid fears of a shortfall July 31st) but misses out a vital part of the school places equation herself. Rachel claims that because new applicants are arriving at 'about five per week, it looks as though all available places will be filled by September'. This ignores the fact that Brent is a borough with a highly mobile population and that people leave the borough as well as arrive. When I was a primary headteacher in Wembley there were usually a number of 'no shows' when reception pupils started school in September. These were children, often living in short-term temporary accommodation, whose families had moved out of the borough over the summer or children who had not returned from visiting families overseas. Unfortunately as schools are closed for the holiday parents are often unable to inform schools about their move. Although there may well a net increase of reception pupils because of new housing such as King Edward Place in Elm Road and Wembley City coming on stream, it is also highly likely that a large proportion of the new arrivals have replaced families who have moved elsewhere. The number of 'no shows' is often not clear until the end of the first week back at school because of the need to telephone or write to the families concerned to confirm that they do not want the place and, if there is no response, visits by the education welfare service to confirm that the applicants no longer live at that address. There is then a flurry of movement as waiting list places are offered to those who may have accepted their second or third choice school and subsequently vacancies occur down the line. It is likely that the true position will not be known until the end of September. Martin Francis, Children, Families and Schools Spokesperson Brent Green Party |
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