HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Joint Secretaries: Dennis Charman & Amy Lassman E-mail HFTAnut@aol.com

Making the Right Choi e

The F!t!re o" S!#i$an S hoo#
The Response of the National Union of Teachers in Hammersmith & Fulham
ecem!er "#$%

The Hammersmith & F!#ham Tea hers Asso iation is &ra'el( concerne) a!out the proposal !( the *ocal Authorit( to close Suli'an +rimar( School, transfer its pupils to Ne- .in&s School an) e'entuall( re)e'elop the site as a /hurch of En&lan) secon)ar( school for !o(s.

0e cannot a&ree to this proposal -hich -ill un)ou!te)l( un)ermine an) )ama&e the e)ucational pro&ress an) emotional -ell !ein& of hun)re)s of (oun& chil)ren. 1t is an esta!lishe) fact that primar( chil)ren chan&in& schools are )etrimentall( affecte) !( the chan&e an) this -ill also appl( -hen it is the school -hich su))enl( chan&es aroun) them. 1t -ill )estro( an effecti'e team of professionals -or2in& to&ether at Suli'an School -ho are )eli'erin& an e3cellent, an) continuall( impro'in&, e)ucation to chil)ren from their communit(. Suli'an School is a 'ia!le school in terms of stan)ar)s, school rolls, finance, the site, health & safet(, the en'ironment an) pro4ecte) )e'elopments.

These are the star2 facts -hich the *ocal Authorit( has to accept an) -hich must lea) their )ecision ma2in&. /hil)ren -ill !e )ama&e). +arents -ill !e !ereft of choice. e)icate) professionals -ill !e )istrau&ht. *ocal Authorities, senior /ouncil officials an) lea)in& /ouncillors can onl( contemplate school closures -hen the o'erri)in& material facts lea'e them no choice or -hen the &ains 5 including to the children most affected by the proposal 5 are so o'er-helmin& that the onl( rational option is to &o ahea) -ith the propose) chan&es. The Lo a# A!thoritys %ro%osa# "ai#s these tests. 1n )oin& so, the impact -ill not !e confine) to the chil)ren, parents an) teachers of Suli'an School 5 important thou&h that is. 1t -ill lessen the opportunities an) choices for &enerations of chil)ren in the communit( aroun) Suli'an School an) it -ill seriousl( un)ermine the stan)in& of the *ocal Authorit( 6fficers, /hil)ren7s Ser'ices epartment an) /ouncillors in the e(es of the profession an) staff -ithin schools across the 8orou&h. The Lo a# A!thority m!st &ith'ra& this %ro%osa#. 1t must also reconsi)er -hat its Schools of /hoice polic( means in an e)ucational an) statutor( frame-or2 -hich has chan&e) consi)era!l( since the /ouncil A)ministration first a)opte) it. Unless the /ouncil is !ra'e enou&h to em!ar2 on such a re'ie- its Schools of /hoice polic( -ill !e re)uce) to a mere slo&an an), as such, una!le to )eal -ith the comple3ities an) competin& )eman)s of a 8orou&h -i)e e)ucational s(stem. At a time -hen politicians are commonl( seen to ha'e 'er( lo- moral an) ethical stan)in& !ut in a -ee2 -hen -e ha'e cele!rate) an) commemorate) the life of one
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politician -ho )ispla(e) the hi&hest moral stan)ar)s, our /ouncil lea)ers face a &reat challen&e. The lea)er of Hammersmith & Fulham /ouncil, /llr Nicholas 8otterill, an) the /a!inet 9em!ers for /hil)ren7s Ser'ices an) E)ucation, /llrs 8inmore an) /oone( can reach out to the communit( of supporters in an) aroun) Suli'an School, accept their ar&uments an) loo2 for a ne- -a( of &oin& for-ar) to&ether. 6r the( can retreat into their o-n narro- laa&er, stic2 to ar&uments, attitu)es an) facts -hich ha'e !een continuall( conteste), )ispro'e) an) foun) to !e partial an) not onl( !rin& )o-n a &oo) school !ut !rin& )o-n their o-n reputation as -ell. Detai#s are a#so im%ortant( The )ata, facts, pro4ections an) impact assessments -hich ha'e !een prepare) !( Suli'an School an) its supporters )o not nee) repeatin& here. 1t is a matter of serious concern to the NUT, ho-e'er, that the /ouncil seems una!le to ta2e on !oar) an( of these concerns. Fa t( Suli'an7s roll is risin& an) is reasona!l( pro4ecte) to continue risin&. Fa t( An in)epen)ent sur'e( has sho-n that the !uil)in& can !e maintaine) in a &oo) con)ition for )eca)es ahea) -ithin the current maintenance !u)&et -hich the school has a)opte). Fa t( Suli'an School is achie'in& hi&her an) hi&her stan)ar)s of e)ucation an) is -ell a!o'e e3pecte) norms. The )ata sho-s this, 6FSTE reco&nises it an) the :*A has cele!rate) it !( a-ar)in& :ol) /lu! status to Suli'an School 5 the onl( communit( school in the 8orou&h to achie'e this. Fa t( The importance of Suli'an School to the communit( cohesion in South Fulham is 'alue) !( the parents !ut also reco&nise) !( the *on)on iocesan 8oar) of Schools -hich is enthusiastic a!out sponsorin& Suli'an School as it is as -ell as the local 9os;ue -ho !elie'e Suli'an to !e a school for chil)ren of all faiths an) none. None of the alternati'e mo)els supporte) !( the /ouncil enhance this cohesi'eness !ut rather ten) to un)ermine an) i&nore it. Fa t( The support for closure of Suli'an has o'er-helmin&l( come from parents of chil)ren -ho are not at Suli'an or Ne- .in&s Schools. This is !ecause the /ouncil launche) a fla-e) consultation -hich allo-e) one set of parents to champion the interests of their chil)ren a&ainst the interests of Suli'an7s chil)ren. +eople claimin& to !e parents -ho -ant a /hurch of En&lan) School for 8o(s -ere the only si&nificant &roup of people -ho supporte) the closure of Suli'an. The( )i) not )o so in the interests of Suli'an School7s pupils. 1t is politicall(, professionall( an)
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fun)amentall( morall( -ron& of the /ouncil to &i'e as much -ei&ht to this as the( )i) in the first roun). 1t is reasona!le for the /ouncil to ma2e the !est use of opportunities -hich open up as a result of an( reor&anisation !ut the reor&anisation has to &o for-ar) on its o-n merits. 1n this case the facts )o not merit the propose) reor&anisation of pro'ision an) closure of Suli'an School. Fa t( 1t has to !e sai), an) the /ouncil has to ta2e this into account, !ut a )ecision to &o ahea) -ith the closure -ill )eepl( )emoralise a s-athe of schools, staff an) school lea)ers across the 8orou&h. The messa&e that /ouncil -ill !e sen)in& is that it )oes not -ant schools such as Suli'an re&ar)less of ho- -ell the( are )oin& or ho- hi&h their stan)ar)s are. The realit( is that the /ouncil )oes not ha'e an effecti'e strate&( to help schools !ecome <Schools of /hoice= -ithin its o-n terms of reference an) (et Suli'an School coul) !e use) as a mo)el an) a resource to reach out, in con4unction -ith other &oo) an) e3cellent schools across the 8orou&h, to )e'elop other schools an) !roa)en their appeal.

S!#i$an S hoo# is

A :oo) School A school -ith outstan)in& features A school -hich merits :ol) /lu! stan)ar) from the :*A an) 9a(or of *on)on A )eepl( lo'e) an) 'alue) school -hich is &ro-in& in popularit( A 'ia!le school A school -ith a &reat future ahea) of it in con4unction -ith the * 8S A school -ith a uni;ue en'ironmental settin& essential to the &ro-th an) -ell !ein& of the chil)ren it ser'es. A s hoo# that annot )e #ose' "or any rationa#* %ro"essiona#* e'! ationa#* mora# or ethi a# reason(