On Thursday 28th February 2008, Lewisham's newest secondary school, St Matthew's Academy, relocated from the east side of St Joseph's Vale (off Belmont Hill) to new buildings on the west side.
Just outside the main entrance, inside the main fence, was a lovely bike parking facility, with angled Sheffield stands for an estimated 100 - 200 bicycles.
The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
The pupils were never given the chance to use the cycle parking facility. And this is our money as taxpayers that is being frittered away.
On Thursday 28th February 2008, Lewisham's newest secondary school, St Matthew's Academy, relocated from the east side of St Joseph's Vale (off Belmont Hill) to new buildings on the west side.
Just outside the main entrance, inside the main fence, was a lovely bike parking facility, with angled Sheffield stands for an estimated 100 - 200 bicycles.
The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
The pupils were never given the chance to use the cycle parking facility. And this is our money as taxpayers that is being frittered away.
That is just one reason why all the major teaching unions are entirely against Academies. These Academies do not exist to serve taxpayers and their children but rather to serve shareholders.
The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there was a breach which could be enforced.
The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there was a breach which could be enforced.
I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning application.
Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly out.
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:32:03 -0800 (PST), TimHenderson
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On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul
Namsob) said:
Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st > February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield > stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
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It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there was a breach which could be enforced.
I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning application.
Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly out.
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:35:36 -0800 (PST), [email hidden]
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Tom Crispin said:
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:32:03 -0800 (PST), TimHenderson
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On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul Namsob) wrote: > Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:
Quoted message said:
> > The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st > > February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield > > stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.
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It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there was a breach which could be enforced.
I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning application.
Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly out.
Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out the bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.
We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go national.
I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an underestimate by 32.
Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out the bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.
We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go national.
I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an underestimate by 32.
Hello,
Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them to this thread if I may.
Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out the bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.
We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go national.
I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an underestimate by 32.
Hello,
Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them to this thread if I may.
No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.
Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them to this thread if I may.
No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.
As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself and James for posting this and locating the planning document.
Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them to this thread if I may.
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No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.
As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself and James for posting this and locating the planning document.
I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!! Why did no-one simply e-mail or phone and ask why the cycle hoops had disappeared from their original site? The site and the hoops were decided , without consultation, by the architect who was solely concerned that the facility he had to provide under planning would match the style of his building - not that it was appropriate for our cyclists! The original site was tucked away at the front of the building - without any weather protection or security from damage & interference from students, squirrels, (with whom we are overrun), or bird droppings. We are very keen on our green travel plan and very concerned to increase the number of cyclists. We have - at our own, not inconsiderable expense, re-sited a large number of the hoops to line the small car park. This is a deliberate visual reminder to drivers of the alternative, healthy meands of transport and also serves as a visual model to our younger students who can see the cycles constantly. The original cycle site has been re-surfaced - with a better surface and is waiting for the installation of individual, lockable, 'bike-away' cycle lockers which are due on 17th March. These have been requested by staff, whose cycling numbers have already doubled. The area is, in the meantime, being used to only temporarily to park our school mini-buses - which have their own allocated parking bay - which we will access once the predecessor primary building is demolished. St Matthew Academy replaces 2 failed predecessor schools - a boys secondary and a primary. Not a single student from these schools cycled to school - having moved into our new building only last week - we already have 3 cycling students and are working on more - including the exopense as soon as the weather improves - of providing cycle training for interested students and the proposal to form a cycling club in the summer term. The assumption by some that the Academy has been paid for by a PFI arrangement is wrong. The Academy's sponsor is the RC Archdiocese of Southwark whose schools it has replaced. The capital for the buildings comes from them and directly from the DCSF. The major teaching unions are not all entirely against Academies - and their objections are not that these schools "exist... to serve shareholders". Their objections were almost entirely based on the freedom of Academies to pay more than the national payscales for staf and to have different hours and conditions. Academies were created to provide an alternative for the children at the bottom of the heap!! The Academy is serving the deprived areas of Lewisham and Greenwich. Half our students receive free school meals, well over half are from families below the poverty line. 43% of our students have special educational needs. We are far from elitist! Towards the end of May we are having a Community Open Evening - please try and suspend your prejudices and actually come and see for yourselves what we are about. Monica - [email hidden]
>Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about >this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take >an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them >to this thread if I may.
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No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.
Quoted message said:
As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself and James for posting this and locating the planning document.
I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy -
Thanks Monica, for taking the time to reply and clarifying the situation. Good luck with the new school
We have - at our own, not inconsiderable expense, re-sited a large number of the hoops to line the small car park.
You paid for it yourself? or are you talking about my tax payer's money!
A bit of a sore point with me as the secondary schools in Lewisham and Greenwich are so appalling I have to send my children to private school.
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The Academy is serving the deprived areas of Lewisham and Greenwich. Half our students receive free school meals, well over half are from families below the poverty line. 43% of our students have special educational needs.
Deprived areas like Blackheath, right! But of course the local middle class wont send their kids to your school, will they?
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We are far from elitist! Towards the end of May we are having a Community Open Evening - please try and suspend your prejudices and actually come and see for yourselves what we are about.
Been there, seen it, done it. I don't know anything about you personally but I very much doubt you are anything apart from hot air.
Does Frankie still pressure her staff into sending their kids to local schools?
I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!!
Thanks for posting your response to this. In the interests of fairness, I have forwarded it to Private Eye and I trust that they will speak to you should they be interested in the story. I'm not sure that the school hasn't breached planning rules though.
On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 00:53:31 -0800 (PST), [email hidden]
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Colin Williams said:
Tom Crispin said:
>Hello,
Quoted message said:
>Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about >this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take >an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them >to this thread if I may.
Quoted message said:
No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.
As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself and James for posting this and locating the planning document.
I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!!
My assumptions were based on my own observations and a conversation a colleague of mine had with one of your premises assistants. Thank you for your further clarification.
I am a local primary teacher delivering National Standard Bikeability cycle training to four of your feeder primary schools with considerable success in increasing the numbers of pupils cycling regularly to school. I am also able to deliver lessons on basic bicycle maintenance and have often thought that using secondary pupils to maintain pool bikes at primary schools would be an excellent partnership.
If I can be of any assistance with your aspirations to develop your travel plan and the number of pupils cycling to school, please let me know. However, I strongly advise you to consider cycling and cycle training a year-round activity, not seasonal.
The assumption by some that the Academy has been paid for by a PFI arrangement is wrong. The Academy's sponsor is the RC Archdiocese of Southwark whose schools it has replaced. The capital for the buildings comes from them and directly from the DCSF. The major teaching unions are not all entirely against Academies - and their objections are not that these schools "exist... to serve shareholders". Their objections were almost entirely based on the freedom of Academies to pay more
or less
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than the national payscales for staf and to have different
(i.e. either better or worse)
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hours and conditions.
Thank you very much, however, for your response about the cycle parking.
