1. BOW PRIMARY CONSULTATION MEETING 26.10.16
Why we need the school to open in 2018 as planned
Friends of Bow Primary welcome you to this public meeting.
friendsofbowprimary.wordpress.com

2. Members share their stories.
Local voices: why the school is important to us – and what might happen if it does not open in 2018.
Members share their stories.

3. We currently have 117 members.
67 of our members completed the survey. Of these, 45 have a child starting school in 2018.
Friends of Bow Primary is a group open to anyone who lives in Tower Hamlets who shares our desire to support the opening of a school for our whole community, and our hopes for the kind of school it will be.
We currently have 117 members.
We sent an anonymous online survey to all our members and analysed the results, which are presented here along with data we have received from Tower Hamlets Council and from the public domain.
friendsofbowprimary.wordpress.com
(Data from FoBP survey 2016)

4. For the vast majority of our members, Bow Primary would be the closest school. (Data from FoBP survey 2016)

5. It looks to us like there will NOT be enough school places in this area in 2018 if the Bow Primary School does not open on time.
The data on school applications this year, that we have been able to get, is hard to interpret, but…
what we can tell is that most of our closest schools are over-subscribed. Already.
And, it looks like there were more applications than primary school places available in our catchment area as a whole. This reflects stories we have heard from local people who have not got places in schools close to them for their children.
In the next few slides we show why we think more primary places are needed in Bow East as soon as possible.

6. The Council predicts that pupil numbers will grow across the Borough over the next few years.
Data from Local Authorities, freely available online
Extra primary pupils in Tower Hamlets above 2015 numbers:
1870
1350
740
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19

7. Around half of all reception places in our local schools are already taken by siblings.
(Data from Tower Hamlets Council via Member’s Enquiry, Oct 2016)
School
Number of places in 2016
Number taken by sibling priority
% of reception places taken by siblings
Bonner Mile End 60 19 32
Chisenhale 45 22 49
Malmesbury 75 33 44
Old Ford 90 56 62
Old Palace 26 43
Olga 37
St Agnes* 30 13
Wellington 53
* St Agnes is a selective faith school that in practice admits exclusively Catholic children.

8. Survey respondents Primary school* Recent housing development
Bow Primary site
We believe that pressure on school places will be especially great in this part of the borough. This is where many new build homes are already, and where more development is planned by the council.
* St Agnes not included because it is not open to most of the community.

9. This is the Council’s planning for the future of the borough
This is the Council’s planning for the future of the borough. Look at all the growth and development in this area.
(Borough Investment Plan, linked to Community Plan for 2020

10. Schools and our survey responses mapped onto planned development
Look at the very few primary schools, and the position of Bow primary (red star) relative to all the planned housing in the East of the borough.

11. 41 of our respondents would like a preschool place
41 of our respondents would like a preschool place. Preschool places are already in very short supply in Bow East. This year:
Nursery Classes
Places
Applications
Old Ford
105
124
Malmesbury 55 43
Olga 30 65
Chisenhale 83
Bonner (Mile End) 60 88
Wellington 76
St Agnes RC 34
Marner 52 87
Clara Grant 32 96
Only ONE local preschool was NOT oversubscribed this year.
* Old Palace has NO preschool.
A preschool place can often make the difference between a parent being able to return to work, or not.
(Data from Tower Hamlets Council via Member’s Enquiry, Oct 2016)

12. A local school would benefit the whole community – and we as a community would support and enrich the school.
(Data from FoBP survey 2016)

13. If this school does not open in 2018, what might happen?
A different freeschool might open in this area, beyond the control of the Council and our community, that may not share our values for the kind of education we want and may have an admissions policy that excludes many local children.
Many families say they may, or will leave the area. Uncertainty about getting a local primary place for their child seems to be a key driver for many of our members to plan reluctantly to move away.
The community will suffer as people and support networks are uprooted and lost.

14. Questions for the Mayor
How will the views expressed at this meeting be fed into the consultation on Bow Primary?
What is the reason for the delay to the consultation period?
Can you share with us the Council’s own analysis of local need for primary places in this area?
Will the final decision as to whether the school will open in 2018 be taken at Cabinet in December?
Considering that construction work has not yet commenced, has tender gone out for a construction company to do the building? What would be the detailed timeline to enable the school to still be ready to open in September 2018 as planned?
When will the tender go out to providers – and what involvement can we have in meeting, listening to and choosing the provider for the school?
Will local potential providers, especially existing TH schools, be formally informed of the plans for the school and given the opportunity to bid?
What can we as a community do to support the opening of the school as planned?
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