Cllr Georgie Cooney reports
Amongst my many roles as a local councillor for Hammersmith and Fulham, I have the pleasure of being a governor of three schools. I am very proud to have been accepted onto the board of governors for Cambridge School and have learnt an enormous amount both from the students and the staff, in a short period of time. One thing which really stands out is how passionate the staff are about the future for each and every pupil educated there. The school is determined to prepare these young people for the future which lies ahead for them, which as we all know, can be a very daunting and challenging place.
I was therefore rather stunned to be approached by one of my students (I am also a teacher trainer); who had been informed that the Council had apparently forced Cambridge School to move up to the north of the borough without having consulted parents or listened to the voices of the students. This was a shocking accusation to have heard, so I made sure that this student of mine was very clearly informed about the truth as there was no question of coercion. Hopefully the following might help throw a light on the process.
Both the Headteacher of Cambridge School, Olivia Meyrick and Sir William Atkinson, the Executive Headteacher of the Phoenix Canberra Federation, share the same vision for their pupils and families. Partnership between the two schools had already been established through small integration projects, and both schools felt ready to develop their working through use of the specialist facilities that Phoenix High School offers and the specialist SEN knowledge that Cambridge staff has to offer.
This partnership can only serve to support the vision of Cambridge School.
This is a quote from the Chair of Governors at Cambridge School:
"The guiding principles governing the development of Cambridge School, wherever it may be located, is the need to provide a meaningful and appropriate education for all pupils, providing them with the opportunities they deserve in order to reach their full potential. We believe that positive and effective inclusion and integration of students within a vibrant learning community, such as Phoenix High School, would benefit both learning communities.
"Cambridge School provides an education for a very wide spectrum of need, including a significant number of pupils who could manage mainstream levels of education with specialist teaching and
support. These chances are extremely limited by our current site and travel difficulties within the
borough.
"Collocation with Phoenix High School would enable Cambridge students to access higher level teaching, where appropriate, and Phoenix pupils to access specialist support when necessary."
It is quite clear that no party was forced to move and that quite the contrary, it was the desire of both schools who had put the appropriate education of their students at the forefront of their decision making process.
Cambridge School had already carried out a vast consultation about the possible move of the school to a new location when there had been a plan to move with Building Schools for the Future (BSF). The BSF funding was to be no longer so it was an opportune moment for Cambridge School to grasp the chance to move up to the Bryony Centre; for the benefit of both Cambridge and the Phoenix schools. I much look forward to seeing the students using and enjoying the advantages which will be available from this transition.
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