St Matthew's Academy

Tom Crispin said:

On Thursday 28th February 2008, Lewisham's newest secondary school, St
Matthew's Academy, relocated from the east side of St Joseph's Vale
(off Belmont Hill) to new buildings on the west side.

Just outside the main entrance, inside the main fence, was a lovely
bike parking facility, with angled Sheffield stands for an estimated
100 - 200 bicycles.

The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st
February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield
stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.

The pupils were never given the chance to use the cycle parking
facility. And this is our money as taxpayers that is being frittered
away.

That is just one reason why all the major teaching unions are entirely
against Academies. These Academies do not exist to serve taxpayers and
their children but rather to serve shareholders.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul

Namsob) said:

Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st
February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield
stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.

It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of
planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour
of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there
was a breach which could be enforced.

TimHenderson said:

On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul

Namsob) said:

Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st
February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield
stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.

It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of
planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour
of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there
was a breach which could be enforced.

I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning
application.

Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I
have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly
out.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/stmatts

Tom Crispin said:

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:32:03 -0800 (PST), TimHenderson

Quoted message said:

On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul

Namsob) said:

Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st
> February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield
> stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.

Quoted message said:

It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of
planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour
of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there
was a breach which could be enforced.

I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning
application.

Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I
have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly
out.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/stmatts

it is mentioned in this document:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DB4D7B99-5BE4-4CF6-9AA9-537A62CF17AC/0/071005webapps.pdf

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:35:36 -0800 (PST), [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Tom Crispin said:

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:32:03 -0800 (PST), TimHenderson

Quoted message said:

On 29 Feb, 20:07, [email hidden] (Ekul
Namsob) wrote:
> Tom Crispin <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

> > The school took possession of its new building on Thursday 21st
> > February, and the first thing they did was rip out the Sheffield
> > stands, re-tarmac the area, and create extra car parking facilities.

Quoted message said:

It would be interesting to know what condtions applied in the grant of
planning permission for the new building. Most councils are in favour
of green transport plans and sustainable transport. I wonder if there
was a breach which could be enforced.

I am convinced that cycle parking was in the original planning
application.

Here is an annotated Google Earth screen shot of the site. I think I
have the locations of the primary school and girls' school slightly
out.

www.johnballcycling.org.uk/photos/stmatts

it is mentioned in this document:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/DB4D7B99-5BE4-4CF6-9AA9-537A62CF17AC/0/071005webapps.pdf

Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the
news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out
the bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.

We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public
money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go
national.

I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an
underestimate by 32.

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

it is mentioned in this document:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/

DB4D7B99-5BE4-4CF6-9AA9-537A62CF17AC/0/071005webapps.pdf

Quoted message said:

Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the
news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out the
bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.

We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public
money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go
national.

I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an
underestimate by 32.

Hello,

Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them
to this thread if I may.

kind regards,

Colin Williams.

Colin Williams said:

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

it is mentioned in this document:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/

DB4D7B99-5BE4-4CF6-9AA9-537A62CF17AC/0/071005webapps.pdf

Quoted message said:

Very interesting James. I wonder how the council would react to the
news that the first thing St Matthew Acadamy Ltd. did was to rip out the
bike stands, tarmac it over and create extra parking facilities.

We are onto a local scndal here. There are those so opposed to public
money going into public-private partnerships that it may even go
national.

I also note that my estimate of 100 - 200 bike parking spaces was an
underestimate by 32.

Hello,

Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them
to this thread if I may.

No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them
to this thread if I may.

No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.

As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT
support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a
breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the
cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and
creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning
permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself
and James for posting this and locating the planning document.

Colin Williams said:

Tom Crispin said:

Quoted message said:

Hello,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
this?  They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
an interest in planning and education matters.  I'd like to direct them
to this thread if I may.

Quoted message said:

No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.

As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT
support role.  I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a
breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the
cycle parking facility.  Also, the removal of the cycle stands and
creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning
permission.  I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself
and James for posting this and locating the planning document.

I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm
staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!!
Why did no-one simply e-mail or phone and ask why the cycle hoops had
disappeared from their original site? The site and the hoops were
decided , without consultation, by the architect who was solely
concerned that the facility he had to provide under planning would
match the style of his building - not that it was appropriate for our
cyclists! The original site was tucked away at the front of the
building - without any weather protection or security from damage &
interference from students, squirrels, (with whom we are overrun), or
bird droppings. We are very keen on our green travel plan and very
concerned to increase the number of cyclists. We have - at our own,
not inconsiderable expense, re-sited a large number of the hoops to
line the small car park. This is a deliberate visual reminder to
drivers of the alternative, healthy meands of transport and also
serves as a visual model to our younger students who can see the
cycles constantly. The original cycle site has been re-surfaced - with
a better surface and is waiting for the installation of individual,
lockable, 'bike-away' cycle lockers which are due on 17th March. These
have been requested by staff, whose cycling numbers have already
doubled. The area is, in the meantime, being used to only temporarily
to park our school mini-buses - which have their own allocated parking
bay - which we will access once the predecessor primary building is
demolished. St Matthew Academy replaces 2 failed predecessor schools -
a boys secondary and a primary. Not a single student from these
schools cycled to school - having moved into our new building only
last week - we already have 3 cycling students and are working on more
- including the exopense as soon as the weather improves - of
providing cycle training for interested students and the proposal to
form a cycling club in the summer term.
The assumption by some that the Academy has been paid for by a PFI
arrangement is wrong. The Academy's sponsor is the RC Archdiocese of
Southwark whose schools it has replaced. The capital for the buildings
comes from them and directly from the DCSF. The major teaching unions
are not all entirely against Academies - and their objections are not
that these schools "exist... to serve shareholders". Their objections
were almost entirely based on the freedom of Academies to pay more
than the national payscales for staf and to have different hours and
conditions. Academies were created to provide an alternative for the
children at the bottom of the heap!! The Academy is serving the
deprived areas of Lewisham and Greenwich. Half our students receive
free school meals, well over half are from families below the poverty
line. 43% of our students have special educational needs. We are far
from elitist! Towards the end of May we are having a Community Open
Evening - please try and suspend your prejudices and actually come and
see for yourselves what we are about.
Monica - [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Colin Williams said:

Tom Crispin said:

>Hello,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
>this? They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
>an interest in planning and education matters. I'd like to direct them
>to this thread if I may.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.

Quoted message said:

As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT
support role. I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a
breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the
cycle parking facility. Also, the removal of the cycle stands and
creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning
permission. I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself
and James for posting this and locating the planning document.

I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy -

Thanks Monica, for taking the time to reply and clarifying the
situation. Good luck with the new school

best wishes
james

Quoted message said:

We have - at our own,
not inconsiderable expense, re-sited a large number of the hoops to
line the small car park.

You paid for it yourself? or are you talking about my tax payer's money!

A bit of a sore point with me as the secondary schools in Lewisham and
Greenwich are so appalling I have to send my children to private school.

Quoted message said:

The Academy is serving the
deprived areas of Lewisham and Greenwich. Half our students receive
free school meals, well over half are from families below the poverty
line. 43% of our students have special educational needs.

Deprived areas like Blackheath, right! But of course the local middle
class wont send their kids to your school, will they?

Quoted message said:

We are far
from elitist! Towards the end of May we are having a Community Open
Evening - please try and suspend your prejudices and actually come and
see for yourselves what we are about.

Been there, seen it, done it. I don't know anything about you personally
but I very much doubt you are anything apart from hot air.

Does Frankie still pressure her staff into sending their kids to local
schools?

mcr said:

I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm
staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!!

Thanks for posting your response to this. In the interests of fairness,
I have forwarded it to Private Eye and I trust that they will speak to
you should they be interested in the story. I'm not sure that the school
hasn't breached planning rules though.

Kind Regards,

Colin Williams.

Quoted message said:

The original site was tucked away at the front of the building

Eh? As opposed to prominently on show round the back?

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

On Tue, 4 Mar 2008 00:53:31 -0800 (PST), [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Colin Williams said:

Tom Crispin said:

>Hello,

Quoted message said:

>Would any contributors to this thread mind if I notify Private Eye about
>this?  They are always on the lookout for PPP/PFI cockups and also take
>an interest in planning and education matters.  I'd like to direct them
>to this thread if I may.

Quoted message said:

No problem at all, I'd considered contacting Private Eye myself.

As it happens, I work in a planning consultancy office, albeit in an IT
support role.  I had a brief chat with one of the planners who says a
breach might have occurred if there was a stipulation to maintain the
cycle parking facility.  Also, the removal of the cycle stands and
creation of car parking spaces is itself likely to require planning
permission.  I have emailed a summary to Private Eye; thanks to yourself
and James for posting this and locating the planning document.

I'm Monica Cross - the Principal of st Matthew Academy - and I'm
staggered that all these inaccurate assumptions being made about us!!

My assumptions were based on my own observations and a conversation a
colleague of mine had with one of your premises assistants. Thank you
for your further clarification.

I am a local primary teacher delivering National Standard Bikeability
cycle training to four of your feeder primary schools with
considerable success in increasing the numbers of pupils cycling
regularly to school. I am also able to deliver lessons on basic
bicycle maintenance and have often thought that using secondary pupils
to maintain pool bikes at primary schools would be an excellent
partnership.

If I can be of any assistance with your aspirations to develop your
travel plan and the number of pupils cycling to school, please let me
know. However, I strongly advise you to consider cycling and cycle
training a year-round activity, not seasonal.

Ian Smith said:

Quoted message said:

The original site was tucked away at the front of the building

Eh? As opposed to prominently on show round the back?

Round the back may be more 'out front' in terms of being overlooked by
those with a vested interest in cycle security.

...d

In news:[email hidden],
Ian Smith <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The original site was tucked away at the front of the building

Eh? As opposed to prominently on show round the back?

With a sign on it saying "Beware of the leopard".

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Mushroom! Mushroom!

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Why did no-one simply e-mail or phone and ask why the cycle hoops had
disappeared from their original site?

Because some people prefer to resort to nasty cynicism rather than get the
facts first.

Quoted message said:

The assumption by some that the Academy has been paid for by a PFI
arrangement is wrong. The Academy's sponsor is the RC Archdiocese of
Southwark whose schools it has replaced. The capital for the buildings
comes from them and directly from the DCSF. The major teaching unions
are not all entirely against Academies - and their objections are not
that these schools "exist... to serve shareholders". Their objections
were almost entirely based on the freedom of Academies to pay more

or less

Quoted message said:

than the national payscales for staf and to have different

(i.e. either better or worse)

Quoted message said:

hours and conditions.

Thank you very much, however, for your response about the cycle parking.

Cheers,
Luke

--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire <http://www.shrimper.org.uk>

Purely as a side line could someone ask [email hidden] to post
on Usenet in text only and not HTML. I, like many others use a text only news
service.

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

"Adam Lea" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Why did no-one simply e-mail or phone and ask why the cycle hoops had
disappeared from their original site?

Because some people prefer to resort to nasty cynicism rather than get the
facts first.