£12 million grant 'will improve Bristol schools'
A £12 million Government grant to revamp Bristol's primary schools will help drive up standards, says the councillor in charge of education in the city.
Clare Campion-Smith, Lib Dem cabinet member for children and young people, said: "This announcement is good news for Bristol, boosting our existing programme of investment in rebuilding and refurbishing schools.
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"We want to give our children good quality classrooms and outside play space, so they enjoy school. This is part of our work to drive up standards and maintain them.
"At secondary level, Bristol is already being held up nationally as an example of good practice for its development of first class schools, purpose built to suit the needs of modern teaching and learning.
"At primary level, we are still at the early stages of the redevelopment process, but we fully intend to deliver good learning environments."
News of the Primary Capital Programme funding was reported by the Bristol Post on Friday.
It will be put towards new schools in St Paul's (Cabot), Whitehall, Millpond and Sea Mills; amalgamations in Lawrence Weston and Victoria Park and improvements at Elmlea Infants, Bankleaze and Parson Street primaries.
These are all schemes in the first phase of the citywide Primary Review, carried out last year.
The handout was delayed in November after Ministers expressed concerns about the city council's strategy for improving educational performance for children aged four to 11.
But the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which sent in a team to help the authority revise its proposals, is now happy with the strategy underpinning the city's £46 million three-year programme for primary school buildings.
Bristol was one of 15 local authorities out of 148 whose bids were held up last year because they were felt to need further work.
The city, led at the time by a minority Labour administration, had based its Primary Review on a range of factors including reducing surplus places and creating extra places in areas of need, as well as creating schools fit for the 21st century in an effort to help drive up attainment.
But the Conservatives challenged this approach, saying the council should simply shut down the worst-performing schools.
A month ago, the Liberal Democrats took control of the local authority. They have said their first priority is to tackle the shortage of school places in some areas of the city.
Schools Minister Jim Knight said: "This is great news for Bristol. Their bid now fully meets our criteria and we are able to release funds to transform primary school buildings in the city. This is part of a £7 billion investment to rebuild or refurbish half of all primary and primary-age special schools by 2022-23.
"A decade ago many classroom facilities were in an appalling condition. Children deserve the best facilities that we can build and teachers deserve better classrooms to work in. Schools are now being revolutionised by the biggest, sustained capital invest for 50 years – benefiting every single primary, secondary, academy and special school in England and Bristol primary schools are now part of this."
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by Simon, Montpelier
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 1:22PM
“Parent with no school place, N. Bristol
I wonder who's pseudonym that is?
Liz, John, Jo, Nat or Rachel - flying the flag for better primary education - yeah right !”
by Jim, Bishop Road School
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 12:59PM
“Hell - at Bishop Road there's no problem - just expand the school and the prison as one unit. It's pretty much the same ambience in both buildings andgetting rid of wall would ease the transition when the children move up at age 11.
If Bishop Road moves to a 4 form entry I'll be taking mine out.
Nobody asked me what I think about it.”
by Mike, Sefton Park
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 12:54PM
“Oh - and to parent with no school place in N. Bristol
I find your tone completely slefish and disrespectfull of all those community members who have fought so hard to preserve Ashley House for the benefit of everyone.
I can see why your post remains anonymous - your kids might have something to say about it when they realise that you were one of those who helped squeeze them into their nice little overcrowded education factory.”
by Mike, Sefton Park
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 12:48PM
“It appears that the governors of all these schools where temporary classes have been proposed have nor consulted parents of children already at the schools. This is certainly the case with Sefton Park and obviously with Bishop Road too. Surely school governors have some responsibility to inform these parents just what they are negotiating away on their behalf.”
by Parent, Bishopston, Bristol
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 11:07AM
“I heard that even Bishop Road are now being asked to take on an extra class, which is unbelievable considering it's already the largest primary in Bristol. They already have three classes and 90 pupils in reception - this would take that to 120, which is plain ridiculous and would surely have major health and safety considerations. It would disadvantage all the pupils starting this year throughout all of their primary/infant school years, with lack of space for play time, meals, trips away, sports and after-school classes etc. I would like to think both the council and Bishop Road School would consult the parents of affected children before they even think of taking on extra pupils.”
by G. Clamp, Bristol
Tuesday, March 31 2009, 10:18AM
“Parent with no school place
You seem to be very well-informed. Do you have any more snippets of interesting information that you might be able to share with the wider, concerned, community.
As for winning. Well done if you've scored a place for your child in an expanded Sefton Park. You can now look forward to a whole year (if not more) of reduced play time and play area, constant bruising from play time collisions, pent up hyper kids at home time, and kids who are too timid to throw themselves into the general melee and end up staying inside the school during breaks. What a winner!
That right - you can forget about the whole thing now - let someone else pick up the pieces.”
by Sefton Park parent, St Werburghs
Monday, March 30 2009, 9:50PM
“Dear parent with no school place - I'm not sure what you are hoping that you have won..if I were giving out prizes it might be for misplaced insults and general rudeness..hardly the way forward in a citywide situation that needs solving for the benefit of all Bristol children. I think you should think again about your approach.”
by parent with backbone, St Werburghs
Monday, March 30 2009, 9:41PM
“Dear parent with no school place - I'm not sure what you are hoping that you have won..if I were giving out prizes it might be for misplaced insults and general rudeness..hardly the way forward in a citywide situation that needs solving for the benefit of all Bristol children.”
by parent with backbone, St Werburghs
Monday, March 30 2009, 9:32PM
“Genuinely sorry to hear you don't have a school place. Sorry also to hear that you can't focus your mind on the reason for that. Precious is a good word to describe Ashley House and the scout hut and the green space surrounding both. It is also your precious Ashley House by the by. Plenty of people in the local community who do not have an interest in getting a school place have been able to see beyond their own needs and campaign on behalf of others. We don't moan; we talk and engage with the decision makers and ask questions and query the answers and demand transparency from local government and justification for decisions made. Moaning would be simply slating people's hard work on a web forum for instance. I don't agree with the expansion as a solution to inept handling of local education. Perhaps you could focus your displeasure in a more appropriate direction.”
by parent with no school place, N Bristol
Monday, March 30 2009, 8:54AM
“Well, we should know today whether the governors of Sefton Park have caved in to the CYPS and will be accommodating an extra class for 2009 or not. I bet those moaning Sefton Parkers will still go on and on about the overcrowding - maybe they'll be pleased when they hear that their precious Ashley House is up for demolition soon. There will be plenty of space then to follow up with an expansion of the school.
Anyway - here's hoping that we've won and can now forget about the whole thing.”