Search for
Search for
Search forExclusive: Croydon's most popular and least popular schools revealed
Friday, August 22, 2008, 07:00
By ALINE NASSIF
THE popularity of Croydon's schools can be revealed today for the first time - and the borough's newest academy is at the bottom of the pile.
Figures obtained by the Advertiser show a meagre 25 parents selected Coulsdon High as first choice for their children this year.
It becomes Oasis Academy Coulsdon this September but mums and dads of youngsters moving up to big school showed little desire for their kids to go there.
Meanwhile Addington High, which has been earmarked for closure to make way for a super academy, attracted a comparatively impressive 112 first choice applications.
Both schools have 180 places available for the new intake of Year 7 pupils, so 155 pupils who would rather be somewhere else will instead be at the Oasis Academy.
Opponents of academies say these statistics back their argument that Croydon's four schools proposed for closure should NOT be replaced by two super academies.
However, while the figures show the borough's new academy is not popular they also back the council's argument that three of the four schools set to shut are unpopular with parents.
Just 42 parents chose Selsdon High as first choice, 61 chose Haling Manor and 31 Westwood Language College.
The fourth school, Addington High, however is more popular than a host of schools which aren't lined up for closure - such as St Mary's, Thomas More, St Andrew's and Virgo Fidelis.
Leroy Laurent, 44, who is a parent and governor at Westwood, said: "Our grades are good but we've been told the school is not popular enough to be sustained.
"But these figures suggest that even academy status cannot necessarily reverse the fortune of a school.
"I think we're rushing into academies way too fast without proper thought and consultation."
Despite its academic success compared to some Croydon schools, Westwood's popularity is second to bottom.
However, Mr Laurent said: "Closing Westwood is not the solution.
"We can see making Coulsdon an academy, with all the promise of more money and better equipment, has done nothing for Coulsdon.
"We need to build on our school's strengths and put resources where they're needed to boost morale."
However, Steve Chalke, chief executive of the Oasis Trust which will run the new academy, insists it would be premature to condemn the academy before it even opens.
He said: "The reason we've had a low number of first-choice applications was the legacy of the school's bad reputation.
"We're in charge of three academies across the country and I've seen this pattern before.
"The initial year is always poor but then, once the changes are made and people can see the massive improvements for themselves, applications go through the roof.
"Harris Academy [South Norwood], for example, was this year oversubscribed by three times its capacity."
Tim Davies, headteacher of Addington High, was encouraged by today's statistics.
He says they are "yet more proof" his school is popular with the local community and deserves to survive.
"The pupil numbers at our school have gone up year on year since 2001," he said.
"This is a school that's improving and has a much higher percentage of first choice applications than every other community school except for Woodcote – the council should take note."
However, Maria Gatland, Croydon Council's education chief, insists Addington High's popularity is on the wane.
She said: "It only attracts pupils on the (New Addington) estate and the numbers are declining rapidly.
"And we project the numbers will plummet over the next five years. "I recognise there is a lot of strong feeling about this school, but along with Ashburton and Selsdon, it is achieving below the government's 30 per cent threshold [for five A to C GCSE passes including English and maths] and this council has an even higher expectation of 40 per cent."
Ashburton Community School – which also could get an academy makeover – attracted a relatively low 94 first choice applications.
Edenham High, which saw its headteacher Jacey Downes resign earlier this month following a spate of violent incidents in the school and a bad Ofsted report, fared better with 115 first choice applications.
The most popular school is Riddlesdown with 330 applications for its 300 spaces.
However, it didn't have had to leave as many parents disappointed as Archbishop Tenison's.
The school in East Croydon had 203 first choice applications for just 96 places.
This suggests the council is right to have proposed the relocation of the school to a site off Coombe Lane which can take double the number of pupils.
DEFENDING THE PROPOSALS: Maria Gatland says the four schools set to close are not popular enough
Be the first to comment