Cator Park Girls School becomes a Harris Academy

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Permalink Reply by Jon Clarke on January 20, 2011 at 11:52

There were 2 meetings last night at Cator Park Girls School for the Head, governors and Harris Academy to set out the reason why the school would benefit becoming a full academy and introduce Harris, who has offered to take them under their wing. The first was for parents of current pupils and the second was for parents who had expressed a preference for the school on their daughters' year 6 CAF forms, whether it was first or last choice.

 

I attended the second meeting, but the first was full and overran a bit, so it was good to see parents wanting to know what changes might happen.

 

The Chair of the governors kicked off with the statement all (secondary) schools in the Borough of Bromley bar one, had today, stated they are to look at being or consulting to Academy status. I was quite surprised by this and wonder which school is going to be the only secondary school left in the Council's 'Family of schools' it so fondly likes to trot out.

 

Anyway the Chair and Head of the school clearly outlined the need for change; the government and local council cuts, plus critical school refurbishment needs and the desire to be an outstanding school on their own terms, spending all their own money and not having to rebate 15% back to the council to do what it likes with it was the future. The offer from the UK's leading Academy group, Harris, partners with the school since 2005 was an offer they see as absolutely the best to fulfil their goals and give girls in Beckenham the best education in the years to come bar none.

 

Dan Moynihan, CEO of Harris and a local parent outlined their track record and the financial, training and support their organisation would bring to Cator Park, its pupils and staff.

 

Lord Harris of Peckham also spoke and it's the second time Iv'e seen him talk about obviously the proudest thing he's ever done, bring the best education to childrens lives and give them the tools for life. No matter what your political persuasion you have to admire the altruism. I agree with Harris's central edict that every child should have an 'outstanding' education and accept nothing less.

 

Here are the performance graphs for schools taken into the Harris Federation of ... - very impressive

 

The consultation forms and details are here and must be back to the school by midday on the 4th February

 

Questions from the floor included:

When will the decision be made? Answer: 15th Feb governors meet to discuss consultation results, decision probably made then. If it goes ahead the school might see a name change incorporating the Harris name more upfront and open as such in September.

 

Teacher training and support? Answer: They would be able to attract the best teachers in the area, cross-train and work with other Harris Academy school teaching staff, and offer the most comprehensive and best package bar none. Supply staff when needed come from other Harris schools so the federation doesn't waste money and the pupils get teachers well versed in the Harris way and curriculum.

 

Curriculum change? Answer: No curriculum change, but there will be more a-levels and the International Baccalaureate, plus BTech courses available too. The school is multi-specialist already and hopefully with financial assistance the science and tech will be overhauled and become state of the art.

 

Special needs assistance? Answer: The school has a dedicated special needs department that would meet with other Harris schools departments in the year to share best practice.

 

Pupils? Still a girls school only and no change ever forseen. Harris already has 2 other girls schools. Pupils make up part of the overal Harris Pupil Council and so interact with other schools in the family and share best practices and feel part of a bigger better forward looking, supported group.

 

Name change, new uniform? Answer: The history of the Cator name is understood, but there will be a new name encompassing the Harris part of the name as it works best giving common idientity to all children in the group of schools it's grown over the past 20 years. New uniform wasn't answered, but in previous meetings I've attended, Harris likes its pupils to be smart and offer every child a free new blazer ensemble with 6 Form students in business dress attire.

 

If Cator becomes a Harris school will Harris still open a Free Harris Beckenham Academy? Answer: This is a big question. They would prefer Cator and the reticent Kelsey to join them, thereby giving Beckenham residents the best local scools on their doorstep and not waste any money and time having to build a new school that will be overly subscribed and cause much harm to these schools. If Cator welcomes their offer then they would still look to open a co-ed acadamy in Beckenham a few miles from Cator as the wheels are in motion and the Government and DfE have given the go ahead to draw up plans . Lord Harris says he has 1100 local residents who are in favour and will continue to advance these plans.(It's all down to Kelsey really. They either stand or fall in my opinion - Jon). You know that Harris just want to be able to improve the current schools to OFSTED 'Outstanding' over building a new school, but as children come first for them then build they will if they have to.

 

If all schools are looking to become Academies then will they all be Harris or only the fastest privileged few to be offered or ask to be one? Answer: Harris are only looking to do 3 or so schools a year. They are not after lots of schools all in one go. (I like and agree with that ethos, it allows all the efforts to be concentrated into one place to make the schools improve very very fast. Which they have shown works time and time again.)

 

The Chair asked a nice question and it was answered honestly by everyone which showed if that Cator had been already a Harris Academy would they have been placed higher on our CAF forms and all but 1 person said YES.

 

A few things I didn't know, but found out later after the main discussion, was that Cator has still a lot of land to improve the school and its facilities, like area for athletics facilities, building etc. With the funding and teaching commitment I see from Harris and the Head of Cator Park I wish this had been something that had happened a couple of years ago, but the school has improved a lot since 2005 and by changing to Harris the future is not only bright for it, but far brighter for pupils and even more more brighter for parents of prospective pupils who live in the area. I think the governors and Head should be thanked for their forward thinking and professional dealings with Harris, parents and pupils. I have no doubt whether or not my own daughter ends up there or not that it will be one of the top schools in the area in a very short time with this current team. 

 

One governor made a very good point on the night. It's not all about pupils and teachers or even academy federations, it's actually about parents being actively involved too. Once you get all parties working to a common forward goal supporting and rewarding each other then anything is possible and local community spirit and sense of neighbourhood is immeasurable. Every parent should care enough.

 

My only down thought of the whole evening was the earlier news on the Kelsey consultation that so few parents of children at the school had returned forms, plus the low'ish turnout for the prospective pupils' parents Cator meeting on the night from over 2000+ invites. Nothing more important than the health and education of your child I would have thought, so I might be being controversial as I sign off my update, but these debates and consultations will change the future of not only the local area for years to come but be the most important thing for children as they grow up. Every parent should be proactive surely? Why want 50% when your child can have 100%

 

The next few weeks will be very very interesting for parents and children across the borough, but especially in Beckenham - please share this site and Forum with your friends and other parents. Blog it, email it, Facebook it, Tweet it or pass on its address and the school gate. Let's not decide by rumour, but informed discussion and debate, so please join the website and engage.

 

Thanks

 

Jon

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Permalink Reply by marie shallcross on January 20, 2011 at 12:36

Hi All

couple of quick points - mainly to clarify the Academy status:-

following on frm the changes in the law last year, any school (both secondary & primary) that has an 'outstanding' or #good with outstanding features' ofsted report can apply  to become a type 2 academy

ie it is not just a Bromley Borough phenomenon

 

harris acadamies & their fellows are type 1 academies

with type 2 the school becomes more self autonomous; can choose its own curriculum for eg; whilst Y7 admissions are still through the LA, most funding copmes direct frm central rather than local government; there should be no changes in for eg special needsfunding

central govt would seem to be encouraging eligible secondary schools to become type 2 by offering money to help pay for the conversion costs. secondary schools which are eligible and do not convert could potentially lose out on future funding

there are other issues, of course, but i'm keeping this post short! check out the schools websites for more details

so far, primary schools seemless keen to convert, but then it tends to be a bigger 'jump in circumstances' for most of them to take over the running of their school compared to secondary

darrick wood has already converted to type 2, I believe

all change to the schools system again! (whether good or bad remains to be seen)

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Fiona Murphy on January 20, 2011 at 14:00

Jon

On your specific point of which school is going to be the only school left in the Bromley "family" - my guess is Langley Boys. According to friends with children there, if they convert now they may have to pay Bromley Council back some of the 25 million pounds Bromley Council allocated them for their rebuild.

I think that may be why they were initially keen to convert then changed their mind.

I would guess as soon as they are no longer in danger of having to give the council any money back - they will also be gone without a backward glance.

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Permalink Reply by Martin brown on January 20, 2011 at 17:31

Too Many Supply Teachers at Kesley Park School:

 

The Department for Education have just put on-line a whole database showing financial information for all schools in England. This shows spending on different types of things..... including Supply Teachers, ie temporary teachers filling in.

 

This shows that Kesley Park spent £227 per pupil for every pupil in the school on Supply Teachers (in 2009-10) compared to just £53 per pupil as the Bromley average and £87 per pupil as the national average. WHY are so many teachers off sick at Kelsey Park school?

 

Surely this must be an indicator of stress and pupil behaviour as well as of how the reputation of the school must make it really difficult to recruit good new staff. Mind you it looks like in future they won't need as many teachers when the pupils increasingly go to other schools 

 

You can find the information at:

 

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanage...

 

Pupils in other Bromley schools are getting much better continuity of teaching than they are at Kesley Park.

 

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Permalink Reply by sophie Leigh on February 2, 2011 at 20:57

After meeting with Jo Johnson MP on Friday, I was told that the only school left is The Priory.

Fiona Murphy said:

Jon

On your specific point of which school is going to be the only school left in the Bromley "family" - my guess is Langley Boys. According to friends with children there, if they convert now they may have to pay Bromley Council back some of the 25 million pounds Bromley Council allocated them for their rebuild.

I think that may be why they were initially keen to convert then changed their mind.

I would guess as soon as they are no longer in danger of having to give the council any money back - they will also be gone without a backward glance.

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Permalink Reply by sophie Leigh on February 2, 2011 at 21:36

Hi All, hope your all ok,

My husband and I both attended the meeting at Cator Park, as our daughter is already there and is doing very well. The meeting it's self was not really a consulataion meeting as such, but more of a sales pitch by Harris. 50 minutes of a 60 minute meeting was swallowed up by very little about Cator but rather alot on what was in it for the staff, including ' a 25% discount at Carpet Right' .

After questions were taken to the floor, even I was surprised on the amount of people that were rather against the idea, infact, only one person out of all that asked questions/ or put their view across, said they agreed and they did mention they were supporting the Beckenham Campaign.

The meeting over ran, due to alot of questions/views, and most parents were furious that the meeting was cut short, as an hour, we feel, was not long enough to discuss our daughters future.

Lord Harris did mention that if he did not get Cator, he will set up a free school as there was demand for one, to which, it will have severe affect on Cator Park (words echoed in a letter I recieved from Lord Harris regards Kelsey), this did not go down too well with parents, as they found this quite threatening.

 

I was asked by a friend of the discussion to post a comment about the meeting, to show all sides of the coin so to speak.

Thanks for your time,

Sophie x

 

 

Jon Clarke said:

I'm attending the meeting tonight for prospective yr7 students in Sep 2011 to see what the Head and governors have to say about the Harris proposal. I'll report back later. 7.30-8.30pm Cator Park School for Girls

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Permalink Reply by Jon Clarke on February 2, 2011 at 22:18

Thanks Sophie, I was hoping parents of children at Cator would report on their meeting as I and others here were in the second 'possible student to be' group and so its interesting to hear that all but one parent was against a change.

 

IMHO the heads and governors borough wise have hard decisions to make these past few months with their funding being massively cut and the free marketplace of school education being the rule of this government which is a tide that will not turn for years, possibly never.

 

I think many governors see securing funding and support as key. They prefer sponsors involvement to borough councils and they feel it the best way to secure the future of their schools themselves.

 

As parents of course we want our kids put first, and by turning to well run, top performing and established academy sponsors that should be taken care of, but the big picture I think is that local communities need to keep their education establishments in their local areas, improve the fabric and facilities of them and so enrichen our neighbourhoods and society for years to come. So whether for or against I think we all need to accept change and work on how making that change works best for years to come.

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Permalink Reply by Silvia on February 3, 2011 at 10:14

Hi Sophie, thank you very much for offering the alternative point of view.

We all have different opinions and it is only fair that we can all express them. I am confident that the views of the parent with girls at Cator will be paramount in guiding the governing body in making its decision.

 

May I just make the point however that a third school in the area should not be viewed as a menace;  in fact it may not only be wanted, but actually needed, as there may be not enough seconadry school places in this end of the bourough  within the next 5-7 years .

 

Let me just finish by saying that I have great respect for the improvements that have occurred at Cator over the last 5 years and that I wish the staff and the students all the best, irrespective of their decision to jointhe Harris academies or not.

 

Kind regards

 

Silvia

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Permalink Reply by sophie Leigh on February 3, 2011 at 13:25

Thank you Silvia,

It is much appreciated x

Silvia said:

Hi Sophie, thank you very much for offering the alternative point of view.

We all have different opinions and it is only fair that we can all express them. I am confident that the views of the parent with girls at Cator will be paramount in guiding the governing body in making its decision.

 

May I just make the point however that a third school in the area should not be viewed as a menace;  in fact it may not only be wanted, but actually needed, as there may be not enough seconadry school places in this end of the bourough  within the next 5-7 years .

 

Let me just finish by saying that I have great respect for the improvements that have occurred at Cator over the last 5 years and that I wish the staff and the students all the best, irrespective of their decision to jointhe Harris academies or not.

 

Kind regards

 

Silvia

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Permalink Reply by sophie Leigh on February 3, 2011 at 13:36

Your welcome Jon/Beckenhamtown

I am always up for change when needed, and where there is change, there are choices.

As long as our chlidren remain happy and achieve the best they can, thats all that matters.

Sophie

Jon Clarke said:

Thanks Sophie, I was hoping parents of children at Cator would report on their meeting as I and others here were in the second 'possible student to be' group and so its interesting to hear that all but one parent was against a change.

 

IMHO the heads and governors borough wise have hard decisions to make these past few months with their funding being massively cut and the free marketplace of school education being the rule of this government which is a tide that will not turn for years, possibly never.

 

I think many governors see securing funding and support as key. They prefer sponsors involvement to borough councils and they feel it the best way to secure the future of their schools themselves.

 

As parents of course we want our kids put first, and by turning to well run, top performing and established academy sponsors that should be taken care of, but the big picture I think is that local communities need to keep their education establishments in their local areas, improve the fabric and facilities of them and so enrichen our neighbourhoods and society for years to come. So whether for or against I think we all need to accept change and work on how making that change works best for years to come.

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Permalink Reply by Reg Adams on February 9, 2011 at 16:49

As promised by Jenni Mogridge (Chair of Governors) towards the end of the first Consultation Meeting on Weds 19 Jan, Notes of the Q & A sessions at both Meetings have been posted on the School website. You can also see them here:

<110119ConsultationMeetings_Notes.pdf>

Attachments:

• 110119ConsultationMeetings_Notes.pdf, 175 KB

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Permalink Reply by Reg Adams on February 9, 2011 at 17:43

Jon, I'm sorry if this seems pedantic, but I think you have misquoted Sophie. The "official record" of the Q & A session confirms the accuracy of Sophie's comment (2 Feb 2011) that: "Only one person out of all (the twenty) people who asked a question (or put across their point of view) said they agreed (with the proposition about CPGS converting to a Harris Academy)."

 

When you wrote: "All but one parent was against a change" it sounded as though only one parent out of all those (50-100?) attending the Parents & Carers ConsultationMeeting was in favour of the idea of conversion.

 

One other observation about judging the general mood on any controversial issue from a particular public meeting. And this was certainly true of the two public meetings held in Summer 2009 about the ClockHouse CPZ. The majority of the questions there came from people who disagreed with the idea of having a CPZ. Yet, when it came to counting up the votes from a (secret postal) ballot, there was little doubt that in certain roads a majority of residents were in favour of having a CPZ. Maybe those people didn't attend the public meetings? Or maybe they did, but kept shtum while they were there?

 

Anyway, like everyone else, I'm keenly waiting to hear the School Governors' announcement – due next week – of the results of their Consultation survey.   

Jon Clarke said:

Thanks Sophie, I was hoping parents of children at Cator would report on their meeting as I and others here were in the second 'possible student to be' group and so its interesting to hear that all but one parent was against a change.

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