Recent presentations about the 7oaks Christian School

[Marshmallowwoman]

Thank you. You’re very brave. I’m not sure that I am, but then I know where the temporary sites are.

Our rector told us these locations in confidence, but I know that many Sevenoaks parents are worried about this issue, and they should have the right to know about the sites before Offer Day. I’ll discuss this with my husband tonight and see what he thinks. Do many Sevenoaks parents read this forum?

I’m sorry, I don’t know very much about grammar schools, apart from they’re not right for my son, who didn’t sit the 11 plus.

[doodles]

Coming out of Tesco this evening I did look across the round about and the office building between Squiggles (the day nursery) and the Jaguar garage seems to be empty. Possibility?............ And 2 miles from Sevenoaks seems very vague and could open up all sorts of other possibilities.

I do hope the school goes ahead, I think that it could be very successful - you just need those first parents who are brave enough to take the chance.

[tigger2]

Seen...you are not alone. My sister is in a similar position and the lack of detail so close to offers day is a worry. The fact that no planning applications have been submitted seems to indicate that they are some way off securing a permanent site. My niece attended one of the enrichment sessions along with friends from her school and enjoyed it but I think that come March 1st if there is no news about Trinity she will opt for Bennett due to the uncertainty. A shame as she has been a very enthusiastic supporter from the outset

[mystery]

Have any planning permissions gone in for a temporary site?

Kent seems to enjoy secrecy. The silly thing it can all be FOI'd, piece by piece by piece if anybody could be bothered. Why don't they just do a well-written press release from time to time and save the officers some time?

[scary mum]

We've had something similar in Bucks where the location of a new school was a bit of a state secret until it was more or less a done deal (causing a great deal of angst in the small village they want to open it in). Gove is trying to bring in legislation which would mean that they don't have to apply for planning permission until the school has been open for a year, so essentially they would be able to open up a green belt chimney (I guess the two things are mutually exclusive, but you get my drift) if that is what they want to do.

[Marshmallowwoman]

I chatted with some Year 6 parents on the school run just now. They’re saying that getting enough children to attend the Christian School will be very difficult this year due to the lack of a permanent site.

Apart from Wildernesse, no one can think of anywhere in Sevenoaks big enough to cater for the Christian School. Many just don’t believe that the school has a long-term future. They’re worried that if they send their children to the Christian School on a temporary site, then they’ll be left high and dry in a couple of years when the school outgrows the temporary site and has no permanent site to go to, forcing it to close.

Do any local schools admit pupils in Year 9? I’ve heard that Cranbrook does? What about Bennett?

[doodles]

Cranbrook isn't really local, it's a long trip! I can't think of anywhere that takes year 9 entry as a matter of course - except the indie schools that is.

It's a shame that for the lack of some basic information / mind settling the new school could lose potential pupils.

Also I am wondering how they can offer places on 1st March if they don't have a site.. what will happen if they have a quota of pupils for September but no site, what happens then? Can you hold two offers at the same time i.e. one for the Christian School and one for a school via CAF?

[mystery]

Yes you can. And this is a difficulty -- a new start up free school doesn't know that it does not have enough pupils until enough people have turned down their offer - and the plug can be pulled on the school very close to the start of term. I 'm not sure why a school the size of Bennett is or was being imagined, as well as a brand new academy and a grammar annex. .... The population is not expanding that much is it .... The grammar plan was based on the theory so 7oaks children not travelling. If this came to fruition other schools would, logically shrink unless the n
Umber of new places offered everywhere adds up to the same as the pop increase. Places planning is much more difficult than it used to b e when the la was the admission authority for all schools.

[tigger2]

I really dont understand why there has been so much secrecy over the site issue...I can only think that it is true that they are holding out for the Wildernesse site . A mum with a dc in my dc's year 6 class told me this morning that the ht has written to parents this week urging them to bear in mind the possible consequences should they opt for this school with no site on March 1st and turn down the Kcc offered place. I would have thought that parents would hang onto both offers though for as long as possible-which in theory would be the start of the Autumn term. Whilst it is not a great situation for Trinity it is also ,potentially ,not a good situation for the other schools involved is it?

[mystery]

Admissions is always going to be a muddle in the first year of a free school. I think that is very nice that Matthew Tate has written to people warning them no t to turn down the other offer. It would be madness to do so.