News on planning application for Sevenoaks grammar annex etc

[chimera-ma]

What's this about the contract to build the new school being 'expected to be signed later this year'?

If only enabling works are agreed to date, does this mean KCC have delayed on the construction contract because they haven't yet decided whether to allow the Trinity building to start without resolution of the grammar annexe sponsorship issue and central government consent?

[mystery]

Who knows. It's as odd as ever isn't it? Maybe they're going to do something like thinking about amending the Trinity plans if there is to be no grammar annex? We can only speculate unless one of you has some internal sleuth!

[ToadMum]

According to this morning's Times, ppermission has now been given for Weald of Kent to open a girls-only annex.

[salsa]

Part of the article:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/education ... 263895.ece" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Plans for the first new grammar school in more than 20 years have been revived by England’s largest selective education authority.
Kent county council has supported a bid for a selective school in Sevenoaks that would be a satellite of Weald of Kent grammar school in Tonbridge, nine miles away, and would admit 90 pupils a year.
Planning permission has been granted for the site and Kent has up to £16 million to build the campus.
Weald of Kent was one of two grammars that were refused permission to open satellite campuses in Sevenoaks last year by Michael Gove."

[JJ123]

Nice of Weald Grammar to inform current parents after consulting with them or did I miss this memo ??? Reporting this morning in papers is premature though, we've been here before. KCC has always supported and given planning consent (16 million ? Shame Sevenoaks hospital don't see similar support I digress ) but issue is will WoK meet "annexe" criteria and its not the girls who needed places at all (no girls did not get their choice this year) but its a few boys who needed help.

[mystery]

Do you think that if this one doesn't meet the criteria either, it will be left to sit on DfE desks until after the next general election before it is turned down?

Good thing that the Trinity School is getting lovely temporary accommodation from the DfE at vast expense. It's probably more spacious and gives the kids more fresh air between lessons than the building that KCC has planned for them.

Did WoK really say nothing to current parents about this new bid?

How can 90 places so far up the road be financially viable?

They'll have to step up the services on offer at Sevenoaks hospital pretty fast to provide sex changes for 7Oaks boys.

[salsa]

They'll have to step up the services on offer at Sevenoaks hospital pretty fast to provide sex changes for 7Oaks boys.

[JJ123]

Yep boys in plaits surely the way forward ! No not a peep from WoK to parents or on Web page. Poor. Clear rush to get through before May and as construction wise costs will esculate if two schools are built separately. 32 girls from Sevenoaks to Wok this year where will other 2\3 come from ? £16m on a school full of girls out of area that travel further than Sevenoaks children currently do on a bus to Tonbridge (20 mins) bonkers waste of money. All fool Wok for getting involved when all others won't touch fiasco with barge pole.

[mystery]

My gut feeling still is that it will never go ahead and this is just general election shenanigans of some sort.

I don't see parents or the school wanting the possibility of children and staff spending time on both sites at some time in the week or their life at the school. Without some element of this, I don't see how it is "one school". Also, parents from some areas will want to be sure which site they are going to get -- again this isn't in the spirit of "one school".

Yes, the article suggests they are going to need an answer from the DfE by January 2015 if both schools are going to be built together and opened by September 2016. But, if time was of the essence, surely this latest bid from WoK could have been strung together ages back - not very long after the last detailed rejection letter from the DfE for example.

Also, I don't think WoK have met the consultation requirements in the document "Making Significant Changes to an Academy" or whatever it is called.

This is just another buyer of time in my personal view, not a completely serious proposal by WoK. If they start building both buildings right now KCC would presumably be acting outside its powers, and if they start building Trinity now without the grammar annex it means the grammar annex can't happen and the local MPs will lose votes to UKIP's two-issue campaign.

Good job Trinity School will always have good accommodation guaranteed by the DfE.

There must be some advantage to WoK in going along with Kent Conservative Councillors' and MPs' wishes on this. Also, all the news articles are written as though this is all KCC's doing. WoK is an academy, nothing to do with KCC. It is up to WoK whether or not it expands, how and when.

[chimera-ma]

The article in The Times says that 'the school' may seek to open a boys' annexe on the site at a later date (than 2016). That would fit with Forum speculation some months back that WOK would establish a girls' annexe first and then either: a) consult with parents of children at both sites to admit boys to both sites - if trying to work within the existing legislative framework; or b) wait for a Conservative majority government (however long it takes to get one) to relax the rules to allow for different admissions criteria at the principal and satellite sites.

It certainly makes more sense to have just one grammar school running the Wildernesse provision for boys and girls, but KCC looks set to miss by half its target of providing 6 new forms of selective entry in Sevenoaks District by 2016. That target was formally approved by the KCC cabinet only last month...