A pressure group has criticised Enfield Council for failing to uphold an earlier assurance that it would provide a new two-form entry primary school in the South West of the Borough from September this year.
In February the campaigning group SWEAT (the South West Enfield Action Team) stated that they had been assured by Enfield's Director of Schools and Children's Services that the acknowledged shortfall in primary school provision in the area would be plugged by opening a temporary two-form entry school this year, to be followed at a later date by a permanent school, possibly located next to Grovelands Park (see our earlier report Council moving ahead with plans to expand primary school places and build Grovelands school).
However, SWEAT have recently been told by the Director of Schools' Stakeholder Management that the temporary school - expected to be based at the former Minchendon School building in Southgate - would not in fact be opening this year. In response, SWEAT's Chairperson, Gonul Daniels, has written to the Director of Schools asking for an explanation and requesting that the Council hold a meeting with her group and with local parents. In her letter Mrs Daniels also asks whether the Council has taken any steps to encourage Walker Primary School to rethink its decision not to expand its capacity. The full text of the letter is available on the SWEAT website.
"Playing the admission system"
By contrast with the above, SWEAT has indicated that it fully approves a move by Enfield Council to deter what they regard as abuse of the schools admission system by parents who move into temporary accommodation in order to get their child into a particular school. The proposed change would withdraw the provision whereby siblings can be granted places at the same school if the child already at the school was subsequently found to have gained a place "on fraudulent grounds" - a reference to the use of a temporary address. SWEAT have said that they "hope that this will stop parents from playing the admission system and cheating other children of a school place". See this item on the SWEAT website and the full text of Enfield Council's proposed admission arrangement for 2015/16.
