Consultation re: Free School on old Ashmount site

Papa

The squatters at the school were either rampant deviants or quite nice people depending on which angle of the <a href="http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/porn_studio_found_in_former_hornsey_rise_school_invaded_by_squatters_1_3047384">local newspaper's Ashmount Porn Studio story</a> you decide to settle on.<br>

yagamuffin

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Not sure what to comment on that!</font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">The last paragraph was interesting though</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The Ashmount School site has been the subject of a bitter debate in recent years, with the council pushing to turn it into housing and residents insisting it should become a free school. The final decision is likely to lie in the hands of education secretary Michael Gove."</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">That's certainly not what I have garnered from here, surely it should read</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Ashmount School site has been the subject of a bitter debate in recent years, with the council pushing to turn it into housing and </span></font><strike style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;">residents</strike><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <i>Central Government</i> insisting it should become a free school<i>, residents have mixed views on the subject</i>. The final decision is likely to lie in the hands of education secretary Michael Gove.</span></font></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div>

miss annie

The few Crouch End parents I know are keen for it to be a free school, they love all that!

Papa

It is a free school they want to stick their not a fee-charging private one isn't it? Personally I'd welcome it, anything that adds extra choice to schooling in the area would be a benefit - and I think the free school plan is worth giving a try.<br><br>Don't forget that while there hasn't been a huge amount of building of new homes in the area, there has been an awful lot of conversions of houses into flats - adding lots of extra families to the mix.<br><br>People should set aside their political allegiances and think more about how to pull up the standard of education in this country we need to try some new things. Too much of this stuff gets bogged down in daft left-right arguing.<br><br>They should probably get rid of the sex dungeon first though.<br><br><br>

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

NorthNineteen

Metal thong?<br>Tape recorders?<br>Leopard skin cover?<br><br>Sounds like an 80s porn studio.... I think it's a bit of leap of faith to say a porn studio had been found.<br>

David Barry

@Miss Annie<div><br></div><div>You wrote</div><div><br></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">The few Crouch End parents I know are keen for it to be a free school, they love all that!"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Their are, in my view, several problems with the Free School proposal.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">The first is that, if it goes ahead, it will be using a site, taken from Islington council without any payement to islington. That means that Islington loose 3 million pounds which they would otherwise get by selling to a Housing Association for social housing. That 3 million is needed for repairs to Islington Schools. (When the council moved Ashmount School to its, rather lovely, new building, in Crouch Hill Park they used money from the schools repair budget they expected to get back)</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">So that means that every school in Islington will loose out finacially if this goes ahead, with the ironic exception of Ashmount, as for the next few years the new building will not need repairs.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div>

David Barry

@papa L<div><br></div><div>You wrote:</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">It is a free school they want to stick their not a fee-charging private one isn't it? Personally I'd welcome it, anything that adds extra choice to schooling in the area would be a benefit - and I think the free school plan is worth giving a try."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">I can see why you would think that an extra choice would be a benefit (but the way other Islington children loose out a bit of a drawback)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">However the problem is that the Government do not actually pay to support school choice. Schools get funded per pupil. Islington maintains (and there is evidence to support this) that there is simply not the demand for the extra 56 places - in the area of the old ashmount site there are 8 places vacant this year in reception - and there was no shortage of places in Crouch End this year. So the extra 56 places will be surplus. No one knows where the surplus places will be, but they will be SOMEWHERE which will cost those schools money.</span></div>

Perflexed

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px; ">Any news on the totem poles <a rel="nofollow" href="/profile/DavidBarry" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(99, 127, 68); border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">@DavidBarry<;/a>?</span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;">If so, you are needed <a href="http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/4877/totem-poles-entrance-to-crouch-hill-park">here</a> </span></font></div>

David Barry

I shall not hesitate to provide news on totem poles on the instant I get it. As I have said elesewhere the totem poles were moved to protect them, and ought to, may well have been, put into storage, but they are currently lost.<div><br></div><div>Not much point raising it further with me; you need to nag the council.</div>

Papa

@davidbarry<;br><br>Can't believe I wrote their instead of there (hangs head in shame)<br><br>This is meant in the politest possible way. You are a governor of Ashmount - am I right in thinking that - therefore you have something of a vested interest here but also have made a far greater commitment to improving local education than most of us ever will, so I doff my cap to you.<br><br>I have my concerns over handing a school site to free to a private company and for the length of time proposed, but I also recognise that if you want to get a mutual organisation or private enterprise involved in something like running a school you probably need to over-egg the pudding in terms of length of time etc to give them the incentive of stability they would want.<br><br>What I think is more important is that we do something to attempt to dramatically raise the standard of education in this country. Overall, our children are not educated to a high enough standard and there are not enough good schools. That observation is not mutually exclusive with recognising that teachers and schools work very hard in trying circumstances.<br><br>Surely the free school concept is an attempt to bring the quality up - not to add overall places.There may be no shortage of places in the area overall, but I suspect there is a shortage of places at good schools in the area. (Are you telling us there were 8 places still going at Ashmount this year in reception, or just at any old school within the wider Ashmount catchment area?)<br><br>The principle I am using is that you don't make things better by holding everything down to lower standards but by encouraging schools to set the bar as high as possible and others to keep up.<br><br>Free schools might not work, but they are an idea that's a bit different after years of doing the same thing again and again and not really getting anywhere. My personal view is that they are worth a try.<br><br><br>

David Barry

@papa l<div><br></div><div>You wrote:</div><div><br></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">This is meant in the politest possible way."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">I respond: in my experience always a bad sign when some one writes this. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">You write</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "> "You are a governor of Ashmount - am I right in thinking that - </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">I respond</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">Yes indeed, I have never sought to conceal this, its mentioned on this site in several places and I do post under my real name. For the record, yes I am a governor at Ashmount, I am one of three co opted Governors. Both my children went through Ashmount, my youngest is 18 now. In fact I was chair of governors there as well for a number of years. There is a wikipedia entry for Ashmount with more information. This does mean that I do have a reasonably comprehensive knowledge of a number of local issues regarding education in this local area. I also sit on the Islington Schools' Forum elected to this by a secret ballot of Islington governors. (The Forum is made up of Governors and Headteachers, it is not a political body) this is the statutory body which carries out a degree of collective financial planning and is concerned with the whol;e issue of school provision in particular school place supply.</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">"therefore you have something of a vested interest here"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">feels like a bit of an insinuation (I say this in the politist possible way) if you look up dictionary definitions you will see that a "vested interest" is defined as :-</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">"</span>a personal or private reason for wanting something to be done or to happen.</div><div><br></div><div>a strong personal interest in something because you could get an advantage from it:</div><div><br></div><div> people or organizations who have a financial or personal interest in a business, company, or existing system:"</div><div><br></div><div>Can I just point out that as an unpaid volunteer, and one no longer with school age children I:-</div><div><br></div><div>1. Do not have a private reason, its public and well known who I am and that I am a school governor at Ashmount.</div><div><br></div><div>2. I will gain no personal advantage, from the Free School proposal not going ahead. However as I am also a householder a few streets away from the old Ashmount site, I could, if the Ashmount Site action group are right GAIN financially from the Free School proposal going ahead, as they say the value of my house would increase.</div><div><br></div><div>3. And I have no financial interest in Bellevue Education Ltd.</div><div><br></div><div>However as you have raised the question of "vested interest" it would be  reasonable for me to ask who you are, as you do not post using your real name, and for you to declare any relevant interests.....</div><div><br></div><div>You see cuts both ways that sort of argument............</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "> but also have made a far greater commitment to improving local education than most of us ever will, so I doff my cap to you.</span></div>

Papa

David, I'm generally suspicious of any sentence that starts with a qualifier too, but sometimes they aren't meant to simply be a cloak to offend. They really do mean what the person is saying.<br><br>I wrote that because I wanted you not to take my comment in the wrong way - it clearly didn't work.<br><br>I wanted to clarify that I in no way meant to offend by pointing out that as you were a governor of Ashmount, you have made a strong commitment to promoting that school and the existing system. That is a vested interest - you do have a personal interest. But if you feel those words imply something untoward I am more than happy to retract them, so consider that done.<br><br>You have made it perfectly clear where you stand on the previous Ashmount site and any questions raised about the new one and have used this website as a platform for your views while being notably absent from any other topic discussions here.<br><br>Like many others who've been here a long time and in the general internet forum fashion I choose not to post using my actual name and that's been on any number of things Stroud Green related over the years. It's not for any cloak and dagger reasons just the username I set up many years ago.<br><br>Since then I've developed two relevant vested interests in education - three-year-old and 11-month-old daughters. <br><br>I want them to get the best education they can, from the best possible schools. Ultimately, too many kids are not getting that nowadays, I'm interested in any ideas to try and improve this.<br><br>As I said, you've probably done more to do that than any of us here. So please don't take offense where none is meant<br>

Mirandola

To an outsider you both sound like good people.

David Barry

Yes indeed. Tricky carrying out arguments using text with people you have not met; easy to get the wrong end of the stick. So I am prepared to accept that I was too sharp in my response. Also clearly I did not word my reply with sufficient care. I was not criticising you for choosing not to post using your real name. Actually on this site, as on many others, it is the usual thing.<div><br></div><div>My reaction (or over reaction if you will) was triggered by the fact that I have always been careful to declare my interest (which I would still wish to say was not a "vested interest" which to my ears has a pejorative tone), and I even use my own name. Being (as I experienced it ) accused of some sneaky vested interest by someone who was exercising their right to be anonymous and therefore was not making any declaration of their own, felt like an argumentum ad hominum, and generally made me rather grumpy. (That, no doubt, and my increasing age.)</div><div><br></div><div>So it seems that my response (while I meant it) was aimed at something you had not meant. So my broadside aimed at the wrong target. So I too regret any upset caused. Particularly as having to write this apology delays me getting to grips with some interesting questions you have raised, which deserve proper discussion. </div><div><br></div><div>But while I am at it I should explain that the reason why I rarely post on anything other than education here is I no longer live in the general area of Stroud Green. I am a road away from the old Ashmount site in fact.</div><div>However when the Ashmount move project first got started, years ago, I started posting on here doing things like advertising public meetings about the project and getting into dialogue with various people here.</div><div><br></div><div>But while I read other postings I rarely comment as I dont have the local knowledge. As to your kind comments about how much I have done about local education, well there are  a lot of other people involved also.For example there are  people on here with a very high level of committment to Stroud Green school . A lot of work is done quietly behind the scenes by people with a very low profile. </div>

NorthNineteen

If Islington were compensated a fair price for the land would you have the same issue?  Is that what this is all about?<br>

David Barry

@north<;div><br></div><div>Its true  that if the Free School does go ahead on the currently proposed basis  this will be to the direct disadvantage of all other Islington children, because  of the loss of over three million pounds that would be otherwise used for repairs in Islington Schools  However  before we get to that point, the first issue has to be whether the Free School is needed. If the Free School is needed then how it should be financed would be the next issue (and the undesirability of part financing it by taking money form the other Islington schools would be part of this).</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

David Barry

So for clarity I have three objections to this particular Free School:-<div><br></div><div>1. It is not needed.</div><div><br></div><div>2. The manner of setting it up will damage the welfare of the other children in Islington, and cannot possibly be a proper use of public funds.</div><div><br></div><div>3. It is being proposed by a for profit limited company who ought not to be given a very valuable asset (The site, plus  a rebuilt building) free of charge. (We are talking about the transfer of a publically owned asset to private hands WITHOUT CHARGE)</div>

David Barry

@ papa L<div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">"Surely the free school concept is an attempt to bring the quality up - not to add overall places."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">I respond</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">You are right to start off by asking what the Free School concept is. Unfortunately the whole debate is so clouded with rhetoric, (of which even the term "Free School" is part) together with ideological clashes that this is difficult to clarify particularly as there are a whole lot of different kinds of "Free School" </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; ">I can make this clear by pointing out that a "Free School" being proposed by a group of parents in an area where there is a shortage of school places a different proposition from a "Free School' being proposed by a profit making Limited Company in an area where there is no shortage of school places, in fact in this year a small surplus.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; "><br></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'lucida grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', tahoma, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div>

David Barry

To add a further point.  At present, in my view,  saying that one is in favour of all Free Schools, as Mr Gove (of course) does is a political  position, as does saying that one is against all Free Schools as, say the NUT does, simply because of the variation between Free Schools. <div><br></div><div>My own position is that I am not against Free Schools in general, but I am very much against this particular one.</div>

David Barry

Well this thread went dead. Possibly the fact that I was so hard on Papa L contributed to that, which if so is a good warning against thoughtless aggression. (If I had thought more I would not have been so aggressive)<div><br></div><div>Then, on the other hand, it may well not have been me at all. And my thinking the contrary possible signs of a tendency to self importance...</div><div><br></div><div>BUT</div><div><br></div><div>Its not just this thread thats gone dead. Islington Council were expecting the DfE to make a final announcement about whether or not they had decided that this free School should go ahead using the old Ashmount site. They expected this over a fortnight ago, but the announcement was, it seems, unexpectedly delayed. Following that they were expecting the delayed announcement to be made by the end of last week - that is, before Christmas. Still nothing. So as things stand the DfE have still not approved the use of the old Ashmount site for the Free School.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meantime the Free School proposers are energetically encouraging people to apply to the Free School, even though there may be, in the event no Free School. Or at least no Free School on the old Ashmount site.</div><div><br></div><div>All very odd.</div>

miss annie

Don't they need people to apply to show interest and demand is there?

David Barry

Well they are suppossed to have collected evidence that "interest and demand is there" when they made their original application, but apart from the revealed facts that their original application contained the two  statements that they had canvassed broadly in the communty (although oddly no one on the area had heard of them before they succeeded in their application) and that there was evidence of "120 percent demand" for places at the school for Autumn 2014 no information has been made public. So we know what the assertions were but the rest of the application, and what the evidence  was, remain confidential.<div><br></div><div>But looked at from Bellvue Ltd's point of view, you can see why they would have to advertise the places now even though they have no confirmation as to where the school will be, if anywhere, because if they did not they would be giving up on opening in Autumn 2014 entirely.</div><div><br></div><div>(The deadline for applying for a primary place starting Autumn 2014 is 15 January next)</div><div><br></div><div>So I suppose the odd thing is not that Bellvue are asking for applications for a school that may not happen at all, but that the DfE annoucement, either way, is so delayed with the deadline for applications looming...</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

David Barry

<div>When Islington Officers returned to work after Christmas they were to discover that it seems that a second consultation is now being held. One of them did a detailed check of the school website looking for developments and found the consultation hidden under a menu.  (Ie not on the homepage but several clicks in, under a button labelled "consultation" which until shortly before had pointed to a brief note about the first consultation, and saying it was over...) Bellevue, whom it appears are organizing it as well, have not publicised it, either by sending it out on their email list which is otherwise active with announcements regarding the "progress being made towards opening the school in 2014" on the old Ashmount site, or otherwise - In fact after he contacted me it became apparent that no one seems to have heard about it.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the announcement: I am not clear when it was actually made.</div><div><br></div><div>"Consultation</div><div><br></div><div>Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET) is entering into an additional period of consultation relating to the site of the proposed Whitehall Park School. The consultation period is open now and will run until 12 noon on Tuesday 21st January 2014.</div><div><br></div><div>Following discussions with the Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency, BPET is now able to name the preferred site of the school as the site of the former Ashmount Primary School at Ashmount Road, Islington N19 3BH.</div><div><br></div><div>The Trust welcomes any comments in respect of the plan to locate the proposed school on this site. To participate in the consultation, please email any comments to consultation@whitehallparkschool.co.uk Specifically, we would like your answer to the following questions:</div><div><br></div><div>Do you think the proposed Whitehall Park School should open on the site of the former Ashmount School at Ashmount Road, Islington N19 3BH</div><div>Please explain your reasons for your answer to question 1</div><div>Please give any further comments that you would like to be considered in our consultation</div><div>All comments must be received by 12 noon on 21st January 2014"</div><div><br></div><div>My own views on this are well known, I shall respond by opposing it. By posting it here I am giving you the opportunity to express your own opinion, for or against. An opportunity Bellvue seem to whsh  to deny you by not telling you about it!</div><div><br></div>

helen

Thanks for flagging it David.<br>I've added my views to a rather un-consultative consultation. I don't know if it will help but this whole thing does feel incredibly opaque and underhand<br>

David Barry

Well its worth bearing in mind that there is a freedom of information "case" pending which may well force rather more transparency, and result, for example, in the publication of consultation outcomes. If - and its partly a numbers game - there is a hostile response to this second, and unusual, consultation then the civil servants who see it will know that it will likely be public eventually so any decision made now is likely to be scrutinised in the light of it. Even in the context of the new school being approved anyway, despite a hostile consultation result (if that happened) AND the school seriously under enrolling which I think VERY likely indeed - I can explain why if anyone wants to know - it could yet bear fruit down the line...<div><br></div><div>But in the meantime all once can do is make the perceived political risk of approving loss of the site from Islington, without compensation, as large as possible...</div>

miss annie

If the ruling is against the free school what will be put there instead? Will the site just stand empty or is there an excellent alternative that we haven't heard about yet?

Mirandola

I thought the original plan was for a housing association to build there.

miss annie

That would come under the heading of an excellent plan!

David Barry

Yes if there is no Free School the council want to sell the site for  about 3 million to a Housing Association to build housing. The 3 million raised by the sale goes back into the council budget to pay for repairs to schools.