New secondary school to be built in South West of city

[Chavtyke 10]

A new secondary school is planned for the South West of the city at Holt House off Abbeydale Road to accommodate rising birth rates. It may open in 2018 and could accommodate 1200 pupils with an eight-form entry structure.

 

I wonder what catchment area will be assigned for it if it goes ahead?

 

Another secondary is also planned for the North East at Burngreave.

 

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/next-stage-begins-on-50m-new-schools-plan-for-sheffield-1-7372662

 

 

It prob wont last like most things these days I sense!

[hamatik 10]

There have been protests about this round my way. I don't really get it to be honest, I'd expect to see protests about there not being enough schools in Sheffield, and maybe angry parents that couldn't get their kids the place they wanted... but people protesting about new schools? Surely we all want young people in Sheffield to be educated, don't we?

[amazon123 17]

There have been protests about this round my way. I don't really get it to be honest, I'd expect to see protests about there not being enough schools in Sheffield, and maybe angry parents that couldn't get their kids the place they wanted... but people protesting about new schools? Surely we all want young people in Sheffield to be educated, don't we?

 

I think a lot of it stems from fear: fear that their children will be assigned catchment to an untested school and fear that if catchments are expanded, their children will attend a school with children from areas outside the south-west, with the associations of lower performance, and to be blunt, lower social class that go with that. Much of this fear is couched in terms of higher traffic congestion, pollution and a loss of public space that doesn't ring true.

Edited December 7, 2015 by amazon123

[Somersetfran 10]

OK. I have worked at several school in Sheffield in my time...and Bristol and London to boot; most of them inner city and multiculturally diverse. I was at Abbeydale Grange when Nick Davies did the three articles for the Guardian. The biggest problem we had was the (sadly) negative attitude of parents who were scared that their child would have to attend AGS. I sat next to one at a parents' meeting at Silverdale who said 'over my dead body'; she didn't know I worked there and I asked her to expand on the comment. Her reply was far too racist to post on here. Needless to say, the hardest working students were those who had not been born in Sheffield and those whose parents valued the opportunity for their children to work in a truly multi-cultural environment. Those students knew education was key to progress and success and so did their parents. AGS was a great school in which to work and learn, and any school who has the support of parents for the value of education, cultural understanding and tolerance will succeed and grow no matter what its catchment. It is, ultimately, up to parents, teachers and communities to work together and not point out differences as negatives but to communicate, support and persevere.

By the by, I did hear at one point that the old Bannerdale Centre was to be pulled down to make way for this new school. Wasn't it built on an old tip site?!

[barmyowls 11]

There have been protests about this round my way. I don't really get it to be honest, I'd expect to see protests about there not being enough schools in Sheffield, and maybe angry parents that couldn't get their kids the place they wanted... but people protesting about new schools? Surely we all want young people in Sheffield to be educated, don't we?

 

new schools or merger schools do not work that's a lot of the problem

[Bludragonfly 10]

I think a lot of it stems from fear: fear that their children will be assigned catchment to an untested school and fear that if catchments are expanded, their children will attend a school with children from areas outside the south-west, with the associations of lower performance, and to be blunt, lower social class that go with that. Much of this fear is couched in terms of higher traffic congestion, pollution and a loss of public space that doesn't ring true.

 

 

Catchment areas will need to change for the new school in the SE and for the one in the NE as well as the new 3-18 school on the Don Valley site which will start taking secondary children in a few years too

 

The problem is that the Councillors will stop a true and thorough review of catchment areas for the risk of losing votes.

[Douglas J 10]

There have been protests about this round my way. I don't really get it to be honest, I'd expect to see protests about there not being enough schools in Sheffield, and maybe angry parents that couldn't get their kids the place they wanted... but people protesting about new schools? Surely we all want young people in Sheffield to be educated, don't we?

 

It's always a difficult issue. It isn't just a proposal for new schools but to close or move existing ones. that will always involve a lot of disruption and instability for existing pupils.

[PeteM01 10]

... I was at Abbeydale Grange when Nick Davies did the three articles for the Guardian. The biggest problem we had was the (sadly) negative attitude of parents who were scared that their child would have to attend AGS. I sat next to one at a parents' meeting at Silverdale who said 'over my dead body'; she didn't know I worked there and I asked her to expand on the comment. Her reply was far too racist to post on here...

 

I know of one parent who did not even want to send their child to Silverdale because that school was too compromised by 'ethnic' children...probably about the time AGS closed. Very sad.

[amazon123 17]

New schools have to be built from time to time. That's just the way it goes. And children will have to attend them, so catchments will have to change too. The furore from many parents in the south west seems a little disingenuous. Many of the children currently attending High Storrs, Silverdale and King Ecgbert would have previously been in the catchment for the old Abbeydale Grange (which was once seen as the best school in Sheffield). Catchments were moved when the school was closed, and you didn't hear much moaning then... As has been said, one of the main reasons the school failed was the lack of support from the local community, which meant that pupils increasingly came from all over the city. As the new school is designed to be a local school serving the local south west community, there's no reason for any local parents to worry surely? Or do they hate the area they live in and have a low view of the academic potential of the children around them?

 

The only small proposed change to catchment I've seen and heard about is the slight extension to include children from Meersbrook and Abbey Lane. Anyone who thinks children from those (thoroughly middle-class) areas will bring standards down needs their head seeing to. No offence to anybody, but it's not like they've proposed a catchment including Page Hall and Firth Park...

[Michael_W 11]

I know of one parent who did not even want to send their child to Silverdale because that school was too compromised by 'ethnic' children...probably about the time AGS closed. Very sad.

 

Why is it sad ? It's a fact of life people can choose, the white kids became the minority at AGS and many white families moved away from the catchment areas of Sharrow, Abbeydale, Nether Edge and Carterknowle. I moved my family away from Sharrow in the mid 80s, best thing I ever did !

[fifikeeling 10]

Hi does anyone know if the new Secondary School proposal has been agreed yet - on the former banner dale/ Abbeydale Grange site?

 

I saw in some previous reports they were looking at it becoming an academy?

 

Any updates?

[Bludragonfly 10]

I don't know whether it has been agreed yet or not

 

It will HAVE to be an Academy. By law, Local Authorities are not allowed to open a new school