The Putney Schools Campaign has been formed to make sure that the wider community, particularly parents with pre-school-aged children, have a voice in the current debate in the future of the Putney Hospital Site. The so-called “Friends of Putney Common”, who represent a small number of local residents, are running an aggressive, well-resourced (and sadly so far successfully) campaign to prevent the site being used for a primary school. It is time for someone to stand up for the rest of the community, and in particular for the future of our children’s education.
The objective of the Putney Schools Campaign is simple and hopefully not controversial: to ensure that Putney is equipped to provide all local children with a suitable quality education, both now and in the future.
We are therefore firmly in favour of returning the Putney Hospital site to community use as a new primary school. If you would like to join us, please sign up using this form.
For more information on the crisis facing primary school education locally see:
What a load of twaddle.
Who are you and where have you been? The reason why FoPC don’t want the proposal to go ahead has nothing to do with schooling in Putney.
Simon – thanks for dropping by and illustrating the point perfectly. The so-called FoPC make no mention of, or attempt to investigate or understand, the need for primary school places in Putney. How can a decision about whether to build a new school have nothing to do with schooling? I understand that you personally, as someone that I presume does not have pre-school age children, do not want a new school near you. But that’s not how being part of a community works. As a society we need to balance the needs of all to decide on the appropriate course of action, and providing an education for local children is pretty high on the list of basic things that we should be doing. If you have suggestions on where you think currently one-year-old children will be going to school in 2015, we would love to hear them.
[ Note that some additional comments from Simon Thompson have been moved the the Current Debate page as they are relevant to that page, and in the interests keeping this page brief ]
I fully support FoPC in its campaign. However, I am not against a school on the site per se, and absolutely agree with the need for further school spaces. But I am completely against the current proposal in terms of its size and its suitability for the site. The views of FoPC and PSC are therefore not necessarily diametrically opposed.
I am pleased to hear that you are not against a school per se. Unfortunately you are in the minority amongst FoPC supporters. I contacted FoPC to confirm exactly this point, and was told that two-thirds of supporters do not want the site used for a school, with retirement homes heading the list of preferred alternative uses.
I also suggested meeting up with representatives of FoPC to discuss whether there was a proposal that both campaigns could positively support. After all, the objective of the Putney Schools Campaign (to ensure that Putney is equipped to provide all local children with a suitable quality education, both now an in the future), should hardly be controversial. I was disappointed to be told that they “…cannot really see the value in us meeting”.
I’m pleased to see someone stating the pro-school case as I have read no end of twaddle on the PutneySW15 forum about the proposed development on the old hospital site.
Can I suggest that you add to your list of conspiracy theories the one about the Commons Conservaters selling off common land illegally rather than letting us graze our sheep on it.
The point I have not seen addressed by either side though is the following. Wandsworth Borough Council have a legal obligation to provide sufficient primary school places in Thamesfield and a greater number are required in the future. Wandsworth Borough Council has ample financial resources, including the power to raise money from us – residents of the borough. So the argument about having to build flats to pay for the school is a nonsense. Why should the design of the school be compromised by insisting on retaining the plan to build the flats on the site? This received planning permission when the site was going to be turned into a poly-clinic. Maybe this needs re-visiting.
Are you sticking up for the scheme because you are desperate to see any kind of new school built? Or are you happy that the current design provides a very good future school for your children.
Thanks for your support. I am sticking up for the scheme because I think it is the only proposal I have heard that is likely to end up with a school actually being built. I agree that it would better if it were possible to build it without the flats on the site. I would happily forego our position of having the cheapest Council Tax in the country in return for better investment in things like building schools (and properly maintaining the ones we have!). But I don’t think this is likely any time soon, so would rather go with the current proposal than have no school.
I am interested in your point on the Council’s legal obligation. I had heard this elsewhere but was not sure of the facts, so had not included it here. What does this mean practice?