Forum Topic

Floreat Closure

Please can I put forward that this situation with our children's school is not over. We have a 4 week consultation period in which to put forward our opinions before a final decision is made. I for one will not be lying down and just accepting that my child accept a place at any school where there is a space. I and many others chose Floreat for a reason. The schooling is unquestionable however the treatment we are receiving by the trust is disgusting. Not once have they addressed us personally with representatives hiding behind emails. Our children are settled and happy we ask for support in this matter and that those responsible be held accountable.

Rachel Davies ● 2741d14 Comments

Thank you all for your concern. We as parents are outraged at some of the new information coming to light. I personally have attended every council meeting regarding the build up of this enterprise and now feel completely fooled by the trust ! The council have confirmed that the site in Layton Rd was agreed and the  only thing standing in its way was the trust putting forth thier planning application which the council were waiting for ! Merger talks with Avanti were going ahead however we are unaware of their current developments and I can only assume Floreat Brentford as being a casualty of war in these talks. As I mentioned this is only an assumption as we are not being told any truths by Floreat what so ever. Our Confidence in Floreat as a school trust is destroyed but I will plough forward to know the truth. A statement by Floreat on their website suggests that finances across the board were not enough to pay the salaries of 3 central services staff team. For me that says it all!! Floreat was not the cash cow that Floreat need to support high salaries of those at the top. I will keep going till I uncover the truth about this situation as I feel completely robbed of my child’s primary education and what should have been a relaxing half term. We currently will all now be looking at local schools for spaces that were already scarce when we started at Floreat. I must add that the staff team and head provided our children with an impeccable start to primary education and we were all looking forward to our children continuing at Floreat !

Rachel Davies ● 2736d

Exactly. I can't see the Primary Schools in Brentford being able to take an extra 70 children in. Way too many developments have been granted over the last decade unfortumately. I've always been in favour of new housing but not in such a small area.

Steve Allum ● 2737d

Shame that the rise in population over the last couple of decades, although encouraged by all governments, has not been fully planned for.

Keith Iddon ● 2737d

We have a huge shortage of Primary School places in the local borough due to the new developments specially in Brentford. I know this as we struggled to get a school place a few years back. The council have set aside the Layton Road site for a school. I remember the original post. We're happy, the council are happy and the Floreat school was as well. It appears it's the trust that isn't.

Steve Allum ● 2737d

What's more, it looks to me as if the whole enterprise has been an appalling waste of public money at a time when the council can't fully fund St Mary's School in Isleworth. The fact is that Floreat should never have been opened on VFM grounds, and the children should have gone to local schools as is now being suggested.

Ian Speed ● 2737d

In this instance I have to say that for once Hounslow have done all they can to help this school. The whole problem here is the Free Schools policy, taking the control for school planning away from local education authorities was always a risky business, and with the best will in the world councils cannot just magic up sites for school development. There just isn't the vacant land available in a big city, as the futile and ill-judged attempt to commandeer Brent Lea recreation ground shows, and the barmy siting of The Green School for Boys, a small unsuitable site for a school not required in the local area. Schools need a co-ordinated and carefully managed approach, Free Schools fly in the face of this and things like Floreat are the result, but it's the children that suffer on the altar of ideological government policy.

Vanessa Smith ● 2737d

Rachel, sorry to hear about the current situation. As residents of Layton Road we were looking forward to having the new Floreat school being built along with Hounslow Council. I've read all the posts and articles but still can't figure out what went wrong.Can you explain in layman's terms, is this cost cutting for the Floreat trust? Also is there anything we can do to support you?Kind regards, Steve.

Steve Allum ● 2737d

We as a parent group supported the school from day one, and continue to support the head and staff with the quality of teaching and educational standards that they provide our children. We were informed up until Friday that planning was going ahead and there was nothing to lead us to believe otherwise. The trust have posted on their website that the decision has been made and nothing can be done. It was confirmed by the DFE to me today that this information is untrue.We are currently in a 4 week consultation phase where as Lord Agnew has only agreed this closure in principal.All representations should be made to the DFE for the final decision to be made. However, the trust is trying to herd us like cattle into believing that all is lost!We as a parent group are insisting that Floreat, the DFE and LBH need to come up with a solution! If a school is needed and is to be built on this site then it should be done now, and these children allowed to continue their education without disruption. The trust continues to evade speaking to us as a parent group, with the CEO attending only to speak to parents 1:1. The Trust insisting that she will only be consulting parents regarding admission applications to other schools, and NOT to explain the trust's unacceptable decision to fail our children and close.

Rachel Davies ● 2741d

Is he still the Leader?

Phil Andrews ● 2741d

...covers this including an interview with the Leader.

Sarah Felstead ● 2741d

Well lets hope that the site can be ring fenced for a future school for local children be it a state or academy. It will be needed sooner or later.

Raymond Havelock ● 2741d

No. That is not the issue. Nor is the parents' choice.Rachel and the other parents were perfectly within their rights to choose this school which, when established, was effectively an Academy like so many other schools.It is quite wrong to blame the parents who are actually the ones whose lives (and whose children's lives) have been disrupted by Floreat not being financially viable and seeking a merger with Avanti: the Brentford school appears to be a casualty of this merger.LBH identified the Layton Road site for the school and have been waiting for a planning application, which was being worked upon by Floreat and the Education Funding Agency up until a week or two ago. Ward Councillors had sight of draft plans several months ago and were happy with them, subject to detail.We were expecting an application in January or February and anticipating approval, whereupon the funding was (I believe) in place from the EFA to get on with building it. LBH has done everything within its power to support Floreat, including controversially fencing off part of Carville Hall Park to provide a playground. Our focus now is to support the parents and children to make the best of an unhappy turn of events.

Guy Lambert ● 2741d

Is it not the issue that the Council kept stalling the planning permission perhaps for political reasons?

Paul Fisher ● 2741d

Surely those who are to be held accountable are all those who broke with the norm  and chose not to send their children to the local state schools.Hounslow may be a bit of a pain in the rear borough on many things but the one thing it has been consistent in is good schools, and for decades.

Raymond Havelock ● 2741d