Is there a need for another Secondary School in Harpenden?

By debbigg | Monday, March 07, 2011, 12:51

Supposedly Harpenden is in desperate need of a new Secondary School. I say this having read an article on The Herts Advertiser website recently, where Councillor Michael Weaver, chair of the town council’s policy and finance committee, is quoted as saying: “We are highly over-subscribed in Harpenden with pupil demand [for school places] and we cannot cope at the moment.” And then went on to describe the need as “pretty desperate”. Really, I ask myself?

Does Harpenden need a further Secondary School?

This comes in a week where it’s been reported that 90% of children in Harpenden attained their first preference of secondary school place, against a countywide average of 81%. And only 2 children in the town failed to get any of their three choices of school. Personally, I fail to see how those stats stack up to anywhere near desperate.

A further school would, I guess, help to provide places for pupils from outlying villages such as Redbourn, Wheathampstead and Kimpton, who it appears face much more of a lottery in securing their choice of school, than their counterparts living in Harpenden.

But with calls for a new school to be factored in to planning, doesn’t it beg the question why was the decision made to close Wheathampstead’s Secondary School? Cast your mind back to 1989 when the LEA decided it would close either Wheathampstead or Sir John Lawes. No Harpenden parent needs telling that Sir John Lawes is now an ‘outstanding’ school, with an enviable academic record but without a campaign from the then time Head, the school Governers and parents, it could have had its doors shut. And like Wheathampstead's secondary school eventually did.

Sir John Lawes then fought a further fight after the LEA proposed it merge with Roundwood Park on the Roundwood Park site. Again the fight was successful, and still it resides on its original Manland site.

So if a further Secondary School is needed so badly why oh why can’t the powers that be not forecast the need for school places more effectively? I know none of us have a crystal ball but surely birth rates, trends, building plans etc. can all be taken in to account when making these seemingly short-sighted budgetary decisions.

But hey, I was at Secondary School in Harpenden in the eighties, and my own children are of pre-school and primary age, so if you’re more in tune with what today’s reality is, then please have your say below. And please do let us know whether Harpenden really is in desperate need of another Secondary School, or not?

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Comments

In my opinion St Georges take very few children from primary schools, they take boarders and siblings, therefore Harpenden has two and a bit schools and is certainly in need of a third,, however it is the likes of St Georges and Aldwickbury Park that attracts the parents to Harpenden not Sir John Lawes which is distinctly average, or Roundwood Park. Shall we survey how many parents have St Georges as their first choice?

By ikati5 at 17:22 on 10/05/11
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I live in Harpenden and with the increasing birth rate and more homes being build in the area but with no additional schools, we face the prospect, like many others around us of not getting a place in any of the 3 nearest schools (St George, St John Lawes and Roundwood) . We would either have to apply for a place in a school a lot further away or send him private.

We moved to Harpenden because of the schools and I beieve as a Harpenden resident I have a basic right to send me son to a local school - not exactly unreasonable !! So yes an extra school is needed if they are not prepared to extend the existing schools. If you look on the web you can see the forecasts for increased numbers of pupils and believe me the % you quote on not getting places is just going to keep going up year by year. So yes for once the council need to plan ahead and avoid large numbers of local kids not being able to go to a local school.

Also, if the sibling rule was enforced and people were not allowed to buy or rent and then move away to cheaper areas and still send their kids to schools in harpenden would help. Siblings take up over 50% of the places and this rule is placed above distance, which is fine for people who still live in the house for which they got the original place for. However, this should not be allowed to carry on where people use this to get into a good school here and then move away, have lots more kids and stop people like me, who do still live in Harpenden, not getting a local school place.

So yes please - lets plan ahead and avoid the awful situation that happened last year (and will happen again for the next few years) with Primary entries in St Albans and Harpenden where 65+ people in St Albans and 35+ peopole in Harpenden did not get a place in any of their 3 choices. This was due to the council not building a school that they knew would need to be built (is is hurridly trying to be build but due to further mess ups wont be open til Sept 2012!) . Please please please lets learn from this and avoid lots of heartache by planning ahead.

By gladtobediff at 08:43 on 25/03/11
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I am assuming that the 10% of children who didn't get a place in Harpenden schools live nearer to another school which is not performing so well, and probably undersubcribed. This might sound like a rather simplistic answer but, rather than build another school, would the money not be better spent trying to bring these schools up to scratch so that people would be happy to send their children there rather than bus or drive them into Harpenden?

By CrackingKate at 12:46 on 09/03/11
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