Bristol parents want new secondary school
Parents have started up a campaign for a secondary school in north west Bristol.
They want a school within walking distance so that their children can move on from primary school together rather than making long bus journeys to secondaries outside the area.
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Bristol parents want a new secondary school
Their group, Parents Voice, has set up a petition and is expecting strong support from families at Westbury-on-Trym Primary, Stoke Bishop Primary and the Elmlea and Henleaze Infant and Junior schools.
The campaigners say the new Redland Green School, which opened three years ago, has not led to more Bristol parents opting for the city’s secondary school provision.
They believe this is because it was built in the wrong place, too close to the popular Cotham School, thus denying children in their area the chance of places.
Their nearest schools are Henbury, Monks Park and Oasis Academy Brightstowe.
But most are choosing instead to send their children to schools in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire or paying more than £9,000 a year per child for independent schooling.
The chances for many of gaining a place for their child at Redland Green are even less since the city council cut the size of its original catchment area to reflect high demand from families living close to the school.
Eight years ago, a campaign group called Pase – Parents’ Action for Secondary Education – tried to persuade the council to build the new secondary on Stoke Lodge playing fields at Stoke Bishop, but Redland Green was chosen instead.
The new generation of campaigners thinks many of them are paying the price for that decision.
Fiona Wisloff, from Eastfield, Westbury-on-Trym, has three sons, Finnbar, eight, Diarmuid, six, and Eskil, four.
She said: “My older two boys go to our local primary, Westbury-on-Trym CE school, which is a lovely school with a strong community spirit.
“Unfortunately, there is no obvious choice of secondary school in the Westbury-on-Trym, Stoke Bishop, Henleaze area.
“It feels that all the children in the area are bussed somewhere else for their secondary school experience.”
Mrs Wisloff, 44, a Bristolian who returned to her home area nine years ago and has recently returned to work after a career break, said: “I have chatted with parents and the secondary school dilemma is constantly on our minds. I can’t think of a week that it has not come up in conversion since my children started playgroup. It is very stressful.
“Parents at Westbury Park and Bishop Road are sending their children to the new Redland Green School and we over this side of north west Bristol want somewhere we want to send our children.
“When is Bristol City Council going to deliver this for us? All we want is a local secondary school that we are proud of.”
Karen Wood, 37, of Canford Lane, a full-time mum with one child at Westbury-on-Trym primary and another about to start there, is also supporting the campaign.
22 Comments
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by Bealmor, Westbury on Trym
Sunday, July 26 2009, 5:52PM
“The tory party have swooped n on this and now made it a party political issue. All those parents hoping to get something moving have been undermined by the self proclained "Prospective MP" Charlotte Leslie promising them a leaflet to pubilicise it. They have been manipulated by her into actually canvassing for her on the school steps!
The glossy leaflet which she promised them contained 9 mentions of her name, a biog and only 3 mentions of the campaign! What idiots they must feel. In our playgroung d the only thing it has done is cause disharmony and suspicion - not a good start for a campaign.
The petition she is trying to hoodwink peopel into signing is returned to her tory party website and in additon she is trying to get personal info too which is returned freepost to the local Tory Party HQ. No mention of data protection or what the info will be used for. What fools she opbviously thinks parents are.
So closely aligning with one party is the death knell for the campaign.”
by julraj, bristol
Tuesday, July 21 2009, 5:03PM
“Good for you Hannah, they are bas schools. Bristol's average (worth anything) pass mark at GCSE for state schools is 36%. For independent schools it's 86% but really 92% if you take out the bizarre ones. Henbury "achieved" 25% and Portway 24%.
Hence, for Bristol at least, it's a complete no-brainer. If you want your child to leave school with good grades send them to one of the independent schools. Universities, graduate schemes, law, medical or financial training schemes don't hire you because you've got "great life experience" and are a "really great guy" if you've also got a row of E's from some crap comp.”
by Hannah, Henleaze
Tuesday, July 21 2009, 3:19PM
“Mudhopper - what are you going on about? Surely I am allowed to be critical if I want to? Do you think that every teacher thinks that the school they work in is wonderful?
Do you think that Henbury, Portway and Monks Park are good schools? Becasue they are not. And the point that I am trying to make is that they are bad schools because of the parents of the children that go there.
This is the real issue in our society. When is someone going to realise that the schools, teachers, buildings and even the children are not the problem - it is the parents and the scoial and moral decline of society.
If BCC gave me a good choice like they did with primary schools, then I would send my children to a local school. At the moment, there is not one school that I would consider that we would stand a chance of getting into.
For your information, I am very professional. I am merely voicing an opinion. Besides which, the fact that I teach in a state school does not mean that I have to champion all state schools and send my kids there. Do you think all MPs send their kids to their local schools?
BCC give us some options - PLEASE!”
by Mark, Bristol
Tuesday, July 21 2009, 3:03PM
“Tracy,
A reasonable share-out would have been nice though.
Part of the criteria for building the new North Bristol school (now RGS), was to address the loss of pupils at year 7 into the private sector and other education authorities.
At Elmlea, for example, out of 96 pupils only 6 went into BCC secondary education pre-RGS. At Bishop Road the vast majority were already (happily?) taking up places in existing Bristol secondary schools.
All you've down is shake up the pot a bit and remove Bishop Road kids from other schools.
Anyway.. all old ground, so let's move on and accept that BCC have scr..ed up and there will be no other school where it's actually needed.
Mediocrity is the best that you can hope for.”
by Tracy, Bristol
Tuesday, July 21 2009, 2:34PM
“But why shouldn't Bishop Road have a secondary school, yet Westbury on Trym and Elmlea should? (and no, my children don't go to Bishop Road!)”