School sell-off at odds with community planning
February 6, 2004 12:00 AM
Whispers circulating in Hounslow Council, regarding the closure of schools within the West end of the borough leading to the sale of the sites, have now become so loud that the message has reached the parents of at least one school in Hanworth.
Although the consultation process has not yet begun, the front-runner for closure appears to be the Oriel Primary School.
The Council's rationalisation programme for primary schools suggests that there are about 1000 places vacant in the Feltham, Hanworth and Bedfont area.
Cllr Colin Ellar, the lead member for education on Hounslow Council, has stated that the high vacancy rate is the result of changes in the population and people leaving the area. He suggests that the under subscription of Oriel and Crane Park schools could be resolved by merging them.
Hanworth Councillor, Linda Nakamura, in whose ward the two schools are located, is unhappy with the situation. Cllr Nakamura highlighted the Council's own document "Planning Our Community's Future", which states, 'Hounslow's population is set to steadily increase. There will be increased pressure for new business developments bringing greater than ever demand for affordable housing, culture provision, schools and health services.' This is contrary to Cllr Ellar's view that the population is decreasing, thereby reducing the need for education places.
Cllr Nakamura said, "Far from being a problem, I see this as an opportunity to deliver smaller class sizes that have been mooted in a positive manner in so many education documents. A second alternative, if the authority would not support smaller class sizes, would be to close off some of the classrooms until we see the projected increase in population. How can the education services be so at odds with the reasoning of another Council department?
There are other reasons why the Oriel school should not be included in any closure plans.
The shape of Hanworth ward naturally lends itself to a three-school pattern. This was recognised when they were built and has led to three distinctive areas in the Hanworth ward. I see no reason to force change upon them now.
What about the impact on the children? There are strong ties between the Oriel School and Hanworth Youth Centre, which is situated at the school entrance. This connection encourages the children to participate in sports and gives them the chance to explore positive leisure activities. This hard-earned connection may well be severed.
Two years ago we had to campaign to save Early Years education. Now, this proposed sell-off of our education facilities is even more serious as it will affect children across all primary school age groups
We have been hearing about the nightmare scenario of closing schools and selling off the playing fields, now this spectre has materialised in our own back yard. Once the site is sold off, it will be lost for good. No amount of campaigning will be able to reinstate it.
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