Page 4 - link magazine

4 The Link Magazine • January 2002
Greendown to offer more places to children in the West
A bulge in the number of children reaching secondary school age in and around the town means Swindon Council has applied to the
government for funds to increase the number of places at Greendown School in Grange Park by 150 over the next five years, and a parents
meeting is being organised to discuss the proposals on Monday 21 January.
Whilst the number of children Education and Skills. bid is successful, two meetings for either session. Meetings with pri-
attending West Swindon primary A spokesman for Swindon's edu- parents to discuss the proposal will mary headteachers, teachers and
schools is actually falling, num- cation department said that, in the take place on 21 January at governors are also being planned
bers in North Wiltshire primaries absence of spare places at other Greendown: that day.
which feed Bradon Forest School schools in the borough, the appli- 2pm to 4pm - an informal drop-in Following the consultation ex-
have risen, which means there is cation for funding was made un- with governors and local author- ercise, Swindon Council will issue
less space for children from Swin- der'basic need' criteria to meet the ity officers a statutory notice to increase the
don. Last September, in an arrange- legal responsibility to provide 7.30pm - a formal meeting. size of the school and planning
ment with Swindon Council, school places, and he would be All parents whose children are applications will be made once a
Bradon Forest took an extra 26 extremely surprised if the DfES due to enter secondary school in design for new buildings has been
children from West Swindon. did not agree to it. Assuming the the future are invited to attend drawn up.
Greendown's intake, currently
250 a year, is likely to rise to 280 Practice makes perfect for Children in Need
and in the short term may go as Year 11 student Jade Gordon is not put off by a challenge.
high as 300. Headteacher Steve Back in July she decided that she would organise a big event in
O'Sullivan said the governors and aid of Children in Need at Greendown at the end of November.
staff were pleased to have the op- Jade organised auditions to select fourteen acts, then expected
portunity to work with the local them to turn up to weekly rehearsals during the autumn term. So
authority to provide the extra demanding was she, that she became known as 'Jade, she who must
places needed by West Swindon be obeyed' around the school.
families. "The quality of education But Jade's perfectionist approach paid off when people had to be
on offer, the range of facilities and turned away from the packed drama studio on Children in Need
the location of the school makes it night. In total some £300 was raised.
ideal for expansion." Jade is now thinking of putting together an end of year show, but
He pointed out that more per- only after she has completed her couse work and sat her GCSEs.
manent buildings would be re- No shy fairy, Jade Gordon with show comperes, Dan Pratt and Tom
quired to cater for the growth in Towers
numbers and as The Link went to
press, an announcement on Swin-
don's bid to raise the capital to North school plan goes to the edge
provide more classrooms at the Swindon Council's bid to the government to support a multi-million pound Public Private Partnership
school by September 2003 was ex- scheme to rebuild Hreod Parkway School, build a new secondary school at Priory Vale, five primary
pected from the Department for schools and special schools was submitted on 17 December. The wait is on for a decision in March.
With major changes expected in cation, as it did a year ago.
the way education is run in Swin- What Swindon will do to cope
don as a result of the failed Ofsted with the hundreds of children re-
inspection in September, it is un- quiring places without new schools
clear how a PPP would be man- is unclear. One option will be to
aged. This may have an effect on distribute them to other schools
the timescale for providing much around the town.
needed secondary school places. Director of education Mike Lusty
The Priory Vale school has been stressed that he was 'very optimis-
timetabled for September 2004. tic of approval of the PPP bid.'
The Ofsted report recommended In the meantime, the council has
that the education department agreed to release £294,000 of the £1
draw up a contingency plan in case million promised last May to
the Department of Education and Hreod Parkway School to fund
Skills again rejects the PPP appli- urgent maintenance.

The Link
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