Four hundred parents have joined a campaign to get a new secondary school built between Wandsworth and Clapham Commons, an idea which has been cautiously welcomed by the council leader.
The schools would help plug a geographical gap in the spread of the borough’s current provision and cater for a growing demand for secondary places, Battersea parent John De Maria, who started the campaign, said.
Wandsworth Council projects it will need an extra 150 places each year by 2017 and Councillor Edward Lister, Wandsworth Council leader, is meeting with the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, this week to provisionally discuss plans.
Mr De Maria, who has a two-year-old son, said about 400 parents had pledged to support The Neighbourhood School Campaign (NSC) campaign which was not political.
He said parents “wanted to work with local politicians, MPs and the community to debate the issue” and earmarked the unused Bolingbroke Hospital as a possible location.
He added a new school would raise educational standards across the borough.
“We want schools that will give our children a good education, at the moment they don’t all do that,” he said. “There is a need to debate this.”
Councillor Peter Dawson, chairman of Wandsworth Council’s children’s and young persons overview and scrutiny committee, said the idea was worth exploring, adding a new school in Battersea did not mean children in the west of the borough would miss out.
“I don’t see that there needs to be a conflict if we get the framework right,” he said. “Battersea parents feel like they have a case. I don’t see why a resurgence of Elliot school [in Putney] should cut across the areas in Battersea.”
Wandsworth received £300 million from the Building Schools for the Future project, which it has already earmarked to modernise its current 11 schools.
While no funding for a new school is currently available, the campaign group feel there could be a stronger case after the General Election next year.
For more on the parents’ campaign visit thensc.net.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here