New school for Lewisham – the story continues
For almost a decade now, the saga of a new secondary school for Lewisham has rumbled on. If the makers of the Carry On series were looking for a tragi-comic subject to revive that old format then Lewisham's new school plans would be ideal.
The story began back in 2001. When confronted with the problem of a failing secondary school at Telegraph Hill, the Labour-run council decided to close it down and demolish it. Surprise, surprise, when the school was closed down there was then a shortage of secondary school places. Few disputed that the school was not performing well but closing it down and deliberately creating a shortage of places must count as one of the most monumentally stupid decisions in the history of local government. A strong community campaign rapidly took off and, under pressure from this, Labour did a U-turn and went into the 2002 local elections promising a new school.
The search for a site, however, proved somewhat more complicated. The original site chosen, at Ladywell Playtower and the old police station next door, fell through. The Labour Mayor, Steve Bullock, then made the unbelievable decision to knock down Ladywell Leisure Centre and build a school on that site. This would have left central Lewisham without a swimming pool for several years and opposition councillors and the local community were furious. We campaigned hard to call for a rethink and urged the Mayor to consider alternatives. One of the alternative sites that opposition councillors urged the Mayor to look at was the Lewisham Bridge Primary school site, on the basis that this was large enough to accommodate both primary and secondary school provision. For two years the Mayor refused to budge and stuck doggedly to the Ladywell Leisure Centre site, even after Labour had lost a swathe of council seats in the 2006 elections. However, given Labour had lost their overall majority we opposition councillors (now the majority) re-presented our motion urging the Mayor to examine alternative sites and save the swimming pool - and this time we were successful. Independent consultants were brought in and recommended Lewisham Bridge Primary school as the site for the new school. The Mayor accepted this. Opposition councillors, the New School Campaign and the Save Ladywell Pool campaign were overjoyed. The leisure centre was saved and a new school was finally set to happen.
It is therefore why I find it curious that the Socialist Party councillors are now campaigning so vociferously against Lewisham Bridge as the site for the new school. As opposition councillors we worked together on joint motions urging the Mayor to consider Lewisham Bridge as a site for a new school. Before the 2006 local elections Socialist Party councillors joined myself, other opposition councillors and local campaigners in a photo opportunity outside Lewisham Bridge Primary - urging the Mayor to make this the site for the new secondary school, not Ladywell Leisure Centre. I would be the first to admit that Lewisham Bridge may not be the perfect site for a new school. But, as the last decade has shown, finding a site has never been easy. The choice was not between Lewisham Bridge and the perfect site. The choice was between the Ladywell Leisure Centre site and the Lewisham Bridge site and the right choice has been made. That is why all councillors unanimously passed the following motion at full council in 2006.
"This Council wholeheartedly endorses the decision by Mayor and Cabinet to select Lewisham Bridge as its preferred site for the new school to create an all-through 3-16 integrated school. This Council therefore agrees to work constructively with Mayor and Cabinet to minimise the risks associated with this project and overcome any potential obstacles in order to ensure the new school is delivered by the target date of 2010.
This Council also wishes to congratulate the long-standing and vigorous campaign run by the Save Ladywell Campaign and The School for New Cross/Local Education by Parents groups. In particular this council commends the significant roles played by both Max Calo and former Councillor Helen Le Fevre".
Normally, I am in favour of protecting old buildings and preserving our heritage but I do think English Heritage's recent decision to list Lewisham Bridge Primary School is a mistake. We have already spent almost a decade trying to find a site for new secondary school provision in Lewisham. If we cannot have Lewisham Bridge as a site for a new all-through school we could be waiting many more years for the new secondary school places that are desperately needed.
Like others I am dismayed that the Government blocked plans to make the new school a local authority-run school. It will therefore be run as a federation with the long-running Prendergast but at least it won't be one of those awful academies and at least Prendergast conforms to the borough's admissions policy. While I fully expect a future Green government to ensure every publicly funded school anywhere in the country is taken into local authority control, as my Green colleague Cllr Sue Luxton has already explained we cannot just sit back and wait for this to happen. We need to ensure this new school is built. We have waited far, far too long.
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