DON’T MERGE ST LUKE’S
Don’t take a chance with OUR kids education
The Case against...
1.There are NO good educational reasons for the merger.
St Luke’s Infants and St Luke’s Juniors both have exceptional
OFSTED reports. If it ain't broke don’t fix it. The Council
have given any hard factual evidence, any case studies OR any
OFSTED reports that show that the educational performance
of the schools will improve.
2. The Merged School will be just too big
593 pupils in one primary school, over double the size of the
average UK primary. St Luke’s is a small and intimate school
with a carefully fostered atmosphere of fun, exploratory
learning in an unthreatening, secure setting. This atmosphere
will be lost in a BIG school.
3. Why Lose an Early Learning Centre of Excellence
St Luke's Infants is one of the few specialist ‘Early Years’
schools in Brighton. This specialism will be lost in a one-size fits
all school.
4.The Infants School is staffed entirely by professionals trained
specifically for the exacting demands of Early Years kids. If the
school is merged this focus will surely be lost. Bigger schools
shuffle teachers around.
5.For a child as young as 4, moving from nursery to Infant
school is a big step. St Luke's Infants philosophy makes this step
a lot less scary. Coming to a great big school won’t be as easy.
6. St Luke's Infants has a unique philosophy embracing fresh
ideas and using techniques like Makaton signing and massage
and utilising multimedia technologies to record ideas.A one size
fits all curriculum cannot retain this philosophy. OFSTED gave
the school an OUTSTANDING grade. Merging with the
bigger school puts this philosophy in danger and the grade in
danger. Why mess with such a successful formula?
7. MAJOR DISRUPTION A merger will inevitably cause
great disruption to BOTH schools. ADDING 255
CHILDREN TO THE JUNIOR SCHOOL IS NO EASY
MATTER. Curriculum changes, staff changes for teachers,
the parents and most of all changes for the children. It will take
years for the new school to bed in. In the meantime the kids at
the school will suffer. The botched merger of Goldstone Junior
and Knoll Infants in 2002 should be a salutory lesson.
8. Two Heads are better than One
The new head will have 593 pupils to look after, alongside more
staff (with bigger workloads and lower morale). Neither of the
two heads have had experience in project managing a merger.
The respected and able head at the new Goldstone thru
primary resigned just months after the bungled merger.
9. An Impossible Timetable.
If the go ahead is given in March there will be just 4 months for
a plan, curriculum, building works, staff training, timetables
and a budget. What if the specialist staff leave? The newly
merged school would open in 2009. No other organisation
would attempt such a foolhardy course.Surely you to must plan
and budget before the merger NOT after.
10. THE CREDIT CRUNCH Where’s the BUDGET?
The council states in its consultation document that there will
be some building alterations using the Primary Capital
Programme. Because there is no plan no one knows what this
work will entail and how much it will cost. This statement was
made before the recent bank collapse. The promised budget for
new classrooms at the Goldstone thru primary never appeared.
The head resigned. The current financial crisis means that all
local authorities are going to be hit. How can you plan a major
undertaking like a merger without a budget and assured
funding.The Council is in no position to guarantee there will be
budgets available for St Luke’s.
11. ST LUKE’S IS A LISTED BUILDING?
Alterations to a listed building involves a complicated
protracted and expensive planning applications. There is no
way this work will be complete before 2009. Minor changes to
the Infants School took years. It all spells major delay and
disruption to all pupils.
12. DISRUPTED TEACHING & LOST EXPERTISE
The council say the merged school will make it more flexible for
teaching staff. What does this mean? At the public meeting this
was not explained. It doesn’t sound like this a benefit for the
children. Why upset two dedicated teams who according to
OFSTED are doing an OUTSTANDING job?
13. WOEFUL CONSULTATION
The parents, governors and staff have heard no detailed plans.
no information on management structure, no information on
budget. Whose the new head? We don’t know.The Council did
not answer thes questions at the public meeting. The teachers
were not allowed to speak. The Council document states “that
in the interest of economy letters will not be responded to”.
Barmy , aren’t you supposed to answer questions in a
consultation? The parents have had just month and a half to
take consider this massive change to their kids futures with only
one flimsy and vague document circulated and only one public
meeting.. All this at the start of a new term when our priorities
have been settling our children into school. Plus half term in
the middle of the consulation programme. What’s the hurry.
An issue that effects the rest of our children's lives surely
deserves more time. The consultation period has been
deliberately set at the busiest time for parents in the hope that
it will pass unchallenged.
14. The Governors of the Infants dont want Merger
The Teachers don’t want Merger
The Parents at the Infant School dont want Merger.
isn’t that plain enough.
SL AM
St Luke’s Against Merger