Camberley News and Mail - Merger needs more thought

POLITICIANS in Surrey Heath have branded plans to merge two of the borough’s three secondary schools “unworkable”.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2090552_school_merger_proposals_need_more_thought

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So now I guess we would like to hear from their fellow politicians at county hall.  So far the majority of both sets of parents feel it will affect their childrens education.  The staff at both schools feel that it will be a situation that hinders their ability to teach our children.  Residents around both schools are worried about traffic.  And the local politicians also believe that the idea of a split site is "unworkable".  We have not even heard from the hospital yet and how they see the inevitable traffic surge will affect their plans to "reduce congestion around the main hospital site and to find innovative ways to solve the pressure of traffic".  Local business we heard from PJ Wilkinson "will not be directly consulted but may wish to respond to the proposals", I think they and their employees especially may not be that impressed.

What gets me most is that SurreyCC appear to have tried to get this through without any consultation and without having really thought it through.  Essentially if Tomlinscotes governors had not voted to do "due diligence" it would have gone ahead without any thought for the consequences.  I'm starting to feel that it is unfair on the governors to decide on something that is so patently "half baked" and has implications for the community that make the scope of the decision far larger than the governing body of a local school.  SurreyCC has put them in a horrible position.

I think it is both incompetent and irresponsible for SurreyCC to have even floated the idea to Tomlinscote without doing their own "due diligence".  The fact that their arguments could be shredded with such consummate ease at each of the parental presentations leaves you wondering at what level this came from, and how much thought had gone into it.  I think it is time we started to question the politicians at County Hall if they still think this is a good idea or do they agree with the local politicians in the area that this is indeed UNWORKABLE.

Ian Sorby

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I do wish people would stop referring to Kings as a 'failing' school. It is an improving school, and is predicted to come out of the special measures Ofsted placed them in (with rather dubious evidence)much sooner than predicted. It's hugely insulting to the teachers and pupils at the school to continually refer to them as failing, particularly after the huge improvements they have made.

Three of my children have attended/are attending Kings because that is where I chose to send them, and it has not failed them in any way, shape or form. My eldest is now at Oxford studying politics, philosophy and economics. My middle 'less academic' son who had no interest in going to University (let alone school!) left Kings with 10 A-C grade GCSE's and is now working full time. My daughter is on target to get at least 8 A-C grade GCSE's. I believe they have achieved this because of the ethos at Kings of ensuring EVERY child achieves what they are capable of, and not giving up on those who will have a negative impact on the league tables.

My concern is SCC seem to be trying to railroad these proposals through, with no apparant thought to what is best for the pupils and parents from both schools. There has been so much opposition from both sides to the merger, yet SCC are interviewing for the new head this week and have told current year 6 parents there will be one uniform across the two schools from September this year! So much for a meaningful consultation. I don't know what SCC's motives are in rushing this through but a decision that will impact not only the parents and pupils but the surrounding area too deserves proper consideration, and given the level of discontent with the current proposals, SCC must take notice.

Barbara Lapthorn