Parents say consultation into Brighton school boundaries is flawed
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The petition, headed “Flawed and rushed consultation on school boundaries for Brighton and Hove”, was submitted on Sunday 6 October.
It went live on Brighton and Hove City Council’s website a few days later and promptly attracted almost 300 signatures.
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Hide AdParents have spoken out after the council started a “public engagement” exercise looking at what can be done to keep secondary schools viable as pupil numbers fall across Brighton and Hove. Solutions include smaller intakes and redrawn catchments.
One parent, Paul Herbertson, of Friar Crescent, Brighton, set up the petition after speaking with his neighbours.
The petition said: “A poorly publicised, rushed and flawed consultation has already seen many questions raised about the process including but not limited to
- limited data available on the proposed schemes impacts. That which is available not presented in an accessible way.
- limited time and opportunity for feedback from the key community the council should be seeking feedback from (parents) with meetings at times when parents are putting kids to bed, etc) and with limited warning to plan for this.
- a leading and flawed questionnaire that forces people to answer yes or no to complex questions.
“The proposals have far-reaching implications and although the objectives of reducing inequality are welcomed, the process by which this has been managed so far is not adequate for a meaningful consultation.”
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Hide AdMr Herbertson said that his neighbours shared his concerns that among the proposals were three potential changes to catchment areas. Two of these would remove streets immediately next to Varndean High School from its catchment area.
All three options removed the neighbourhood from Dorothy Stringer’s catchment.
The council has proposed cutting 345 places in year 7 classrooms – from 2,560 to 2,215 – by September 2030.
The proposal involves cutting 90 places a year from the annual intake at both Blatchington Mill and Longhill, 60 places at both Dorothy Stringer and Varndean and 45 places at Patcham High.
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Hide AdMr Herbertson, 45, said: “The engagement has basically forced people to choose an option without providing them with the information needed to make that decision. There needs to be meaningful consultation.
“They’re shipping kids across an already congested city at rush hour where we already know the bus service is failing them.”
His six-year-old currently attends a nearby primary school to be “be part of the community” because during his early years he missed out on socialising with children of his own age because of covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
One of the petition’s supporters is Rob Lloyd who moved to Friar Road earlier this year to be closer to his preferred secondary schools.
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Hide AdHe has two children at primary school and can see Varndean from his bedroom window.
Mr Lloyd, 45, said: “Geography tells you we should be able to send our kids to that school. None of them need to use public transport, so there’s zero carbon footprint. Why destroy that?”
When secondary schools are oversubscribed, the council allocates places using a number of criteria before, ultimately, relying on a lottery system.
In recent years, with a “bulge” caused by high birth rates passing through the schools, some youngsters have had to travel to schools more than an hour away from their homes.
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Hide AdMr Lloyd said that it was “bonkers” to potentially send his children to a school miles away rather than at the bottom of their garden.
The council’s proposed shake-up is also intended to address the “attainment gap” between disadvantaged children and those not eligible for free school meals.
Mr Lloyd said: “The focus should be on improving schools in areas where they aren’t performing well. Every child has the right to attend a local school embedded in their community.”
The deputy leader of the council, Jacob Taylor, said that any potential changes to catchment areas would need to go before the full council by the end of February, after a formal six-week consultation.
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Hide AdHe has assured parents that “sibling links” would be retained, making it more likely that youngsters can go to a secondary school if they have an older brother or sister there.
Councillor Taylor acknowledged the concerns of Friar Road parents but defended the plans, saying: “Wherever you draw catchment areas, there will always be parents on either side of those lines who may be upset or confused. It’s a difficult issue.
“I completely understand why parents would want to share their views on this. For many people, their nearest school will seem like the best option and, often, it will be. We also have to consider the transport factor.
“What we haven’t proposed this time, which has been considered by previous councils, is removing catchments altogether or introducing city-wide catchments. That would probably be too complicated in terms of transport routes.”
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Hide AdNo changes have been proposed for four schools which are academies, free schools, or faith schools because they set their own admission numbers.
More than 1,500 people have responded since the “public engagement” went live on the Your Voice section of the council’s website.
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