Blackheath Bluecoat

Greenwich Council decides to shut Blackheath Bluecoat school

January 18, 2012 By Adam Bienkov

Greenwich Council's cabinet last night voted unanimously to close down Blackheath Bluecoat school despite overwhelming opposition from staff and pupils.

The school has failed to reverse a decline in pupil numbers in recent years, in spite of improving exam results.

It will close its doors for the final time in August 2014, with some year groups leaving in 2013.

Council leader Chris Roberts blamed the school's troubled reputation for their decision, saying that "popular mythology" about pupil behaviour was keeping new admissions away.

He also said that the increasing financial deficit racked up by the school, could not be maintained:

"The question is, could the school sustain the improvements it has made with the level of cuts that would be necessary? My view is that it could not."

Decreasing numbers of pupils have not been matched by cuts in staff numbers, leading to the school accumulating a £1.5 million deficit.

Cllr Jackie Smith, the cabinet member with responsibility for schools, said it was unfair for this deficit to continue to impact on other schools in the area.

But in a passionate speech, executive headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger defended his decision to maintain staff numbers, pointing out that results had improved at double the rate of other schools in the borough:

"There has been funding coming to the school that was in excess of funding that we would otherwise have received. But all that has done is allowed us to build confidence and to appoint exceptionally talented, hard-working committed staff who have delivered the goods in the classroom and improved the life chances of pupils as a result. Yes that has costs but was it worth it? You bet your life it was."

He also attacked the council for ignoring the results of their own consultation, which found 91% of respondents opposed to closing the school:

"It could not be clearer that there is no community will in this borough to close Blackheath Bluecoat School. To continue with the closure despite of this is therefore perverse and undemocratic."

He urged councillors to give him more time to turn around the school, and said that the three year window afforded to him by the council had not been a "realistic" period in which to reverse its decline.

The council’s decision means that Greenwich borough will no longer have a Church of England secondary school. CofE schools in neighbouring boroughs are currently oversubscribed.

Chris Roberts admitted that this situation was "not sustainable" and floated the possibility of a new CofE school to be built on the Greenwich peninsula.

However, officers said that there was "no funding stream" currently available for such a school.

Around a hundred pupils and staff marched on the town hall last night to protest against the expected closure of the school and there were chants of “shame on you” as councillors left the building.

Speaking to Greenwich.co.uk after the meeting, executive headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger said:

"I'm shocked and disappointed because it seems clear that the cabinet members didn't listen to any of the points that were put forward either in the consultation or in what was said this evening and have made a decision that is not right for the pupils in the school and for the future of Church of England education in the borough. I accept that these are constrained financial times but I think that children's education is more important than short term financial loss."

He conceded that the council's decision to close the school was "unlikely" to be reversed but said that they were "considering our options."

He also congratulated staff and pupils on a hard fought campaign:

"I think they've done superbly and I'm proud of the very mature, controlled and sensible way in which they've handled themselves. I want the pupils and staff to continue to work as hard as they have to achieve the very best public examination outcomes that they possibly can do, not only for themselves but to demonstrate to the council just how wrong they were to close the school."

Under-fire council officers flee Blackheath Bluecoat meeting

October 17, 2011 By Darryl Chamberlain

Greenwich Council’s director of education fled a public meeting about plans to close Blackheath Bluecoat school this evening after being barracked with cries of “get out” by students.

The meeting had been called as part of a consultation into proposals to shut down the school on Old Dover Road, Blackheath, which is suffering from dwindling pupil numbers.

But Gillian Palmer and her staff walked out of the meeting after an anti-cuts campaigner took to the microphone to demand they leave so parents could organise their own action against the planned closure.

Headteacher Barnaby Ash tried to reconvene the meeting, but Ms Palmer and her team had left the building, to the dismay of many of the staff and parents.

“This is not going to save this school,” Mr Ash told parents.

Before the meeting suddenly ended, Ms Palmer came under fierce criticism from parents, staff and students, with many hailing recent big improvements in exam results.

She said the school had only attracted 81 out of a possible 180 students this year, and the council’s education budget could not afford to maintain its deficit of £1.5 million.

“We had four targets for this school - to improve teaching, improve standards, to make it more popular, and see an increase in its rolls,” she explained.

While teaching and educational standards had improved markedly, she said, the school was still saddled with a poor reputation which deterred parents from sending their children there.

But many speakers praised the quality of the teaching, and accused Greenwich Council of not backing the school by not encouraging parents to send their children there.

One student said the school was “like a family”.

“I wake up every morning happy to come here - doesn’t that tell you something?”

A teacher said: “I find it very odd that closure is the only option that is being considered, when it guarantees that the deficit will not be repaid.”

National Union of Teachers member Helmut Heib, of Deptford, challenged Ms Palmer to publicly withdraw the closure proposal, before calling on the council officers to leave.

“If you’re not prepared to withdraw this proposal, all those in favour of asking you lot to leave, so we can organise a campaign to stop the closure of this school, raise your hands,” Mr Heib, who is also a member of Lewisham Anti-Cuts Alliance (LACA).

“Get your stuff and get out,” he continued as a sea of hands went up, and Ms Palmer’s team left to cries of “get out”.

Mr Heib then took the microphone to call for volunteers, before headteacher Mr Ash took the microphone back in the hope that the council team would return.

After the meeting, Mr Heib told greenwich.co.uk he was sorry if his actions had upset anyone: “Most of the people have said ‘well done’, some have very acerbically said this is not the way to go.”

But he added: “I sat there for an hour and fifteen minutes, and everyone was in favour of keeping the school open. I could see that at least 20 parents had already left, so I asked if they were prepared to reconsider, and they said, quite categorically, no.

“Then I said, why not leave, so we can organise a proper, cohesive campaign to keep this school open?”

He added: “Those people who are unhappy should have another meeting and I won’t turn up, and we’ll see where we are at the end of that - which, as you can see, is a draft proposal to close Blackheath Bluecoat school.

“It’s a meeting to manage the closure of a school, not to take measures to ensure the roll rises.”

While a Greenwich Council-funded school, 29% of Blackheath Bluecoats students come from outside the borough, with most of those from Lewisham.

LACA has previously been involved with a campaign to stop Deptford’s Tidemill school becoming an academy, and an occupation of New Cross Library.

Blackheath Bluecoat can trace its history back to Greenwich’s Blue Coat School for Girls, which opened in 1700 and was based on Point Hill for much of the 20th century. In 1959, it merged with the Blackheath and Kidbrook School, based on Old Dover Road.

A formal consultation process on closing the school will begin on 8 November with the publication of a notice in council weekly Greenwich Time.

The final decision will be made by Greenwich Council’s cabinet on 12 January. ~~No councillors were present at this evening’s meeting~~.

Blackheath Bluecoat’s Peninsula move gets the red light

July 8, 2010 By Rob Powell

The proposal to move Blackheath Bluecoat school to a new building at Greenwich Peninsula has been stopped by the Government.

The move to a new school building off Millennium Way was put forward after an earlier proposal to move the John Roan School was dropped.

At the time of the announcement in February this year, executive headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger welcomed the the "opportunity to move to what promises to be a remarkable building".

Blackheath Bluecoat is just one of hundreds of schools around the country that have been affected by the new coalition government's review of the the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, told the House of Commons this week that "faced with the desperate mess left by the last Administration, this Government have had to prioritise, and our first priority is raising the attainment of the poorest by investing in great teaching".

Blackheath Bluecoat to move to Peninsula

February 9, 2010 By Rob Powell

Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England school is set to move to a brand new building off Millennium Way on the Greenwich Peninsula.

The Governing Body of the 300 year old school has unanimously agreed the move, subject to the decomissioning of a nearby gas holder, or the provision of a suitable site nearby if that isn't possible. If all goes to plan, the move could be complete by the summer of 2012.

Executive Headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be given this opportunity to move to what promises to be a remarkable building.

“We are enormously grateful to Greenwich Council and the Diocese of Southwark for their unflinching support for this proposal. However we will also remain focused on the vital work of continuing to raise the standard of pupil achievement at Blackheath Bluecoat School.”

Chair of Governors David Prescott added:

“It’s fitting that 310 years on from the first Bluecoat in Greenwich, we’re now writing the next chapter in the school’s impressive history.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to provide a first-class secondary school specialising in maths and computing on the Peninsula and we’re absolutely delighted that staff, pupils and parents are fully behind the move. "

Councillor Jackie Smith, Greenwich Council Cabinet for Children and Young People said:

“The Greenwich peninsula offers excellent educational opportunities for young people to really drive up their attainment as part of the huge investment in new facilities, skills and local partnerships.”

“The year sees the relocation to the peninsula of the internationally renowned Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. The College is a world leader in its field and will provide students additional access to the very best technology and learning facilities.

“The school will further benefit from its close proximity to an ever growing business community, and on its doorstep will be The O2, the world’s most successful music and entertainment venue.”

In November 2009, a planned move for the John Roan School to the peninsula was called off.

The Blackheath Bluecoat school is currently on Old Dover Road, SE3, but its history can be traced back to 1700 when a school for 30 girls was created in a house on what has now become Greenwich High Road.