From Kingston Church School:
A listening tour organised by campaigners for a new Church secondary school in North Kingston ended his week with a passionate plea for the values of Christian education. Chairman of the Kingston Church School Appeal and local parent, David Campanale, told residents at Christ Church CofE Primary School in New Malden that it was now up to the wider public to grasp the opportunity offered by prospects for the new school, which will be built by 2015.
"Kingston has 10 incredibly popular and successful Church of England primary and junior schools. Church schools are different because of their clear Christian ethos, leadership and connection to the community they each serve. Opposition to the idea of a Christian school on grounds of 'exclusion' is misplaced, as all secondary schools in Kingston are already exclusive in one way or another, by virtue of academic selection, sex selection or by being over-subscribed. The virtue of the diocesan bid is that it adds choice and diversity to borough parents."
Each of the four meetings in Kingston, Surbiton and New Malden was addressed by John Russell, Assistant Director of Education at the Board of Education of the Diocese of Southwark. In his presentation he set out what kind of school the Church of England is proposing to build and run if they won Kingston Council's open competition. He also explained to local parents, teachers and members of the public that the Diocese would decide next week what percentage of the school would be reserved as 'foundation' places - for committed Christians - and those which will be 'open' places available to other children living in north Kingston.
Comments from the floor at each meeting ranged from questions over whether Christian families living further away from north Kingston would have a chance of attending the school, to provision for children with special needs and concern that residents living near the site could be excluded for not being committed Anglicans.
David Campanale said he supports the findings of Lord Dearing's Report in 2001 into the future of Church schools, which concluded that any new Church schools should have 'a core of Christian pupils', whilst also 'serving the local community in all its diversity'.
"Expert advice is clear in saying that there should be a sufficient number of places for families who can show by their lives that they share the Christian ethos of the school. And what makes successful schools distinctive is a clear sense of shared purpose and values. We mustn't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. This is why it is pointless to water down the Christian commitment under-pinning this bid, or by having fewer Christian families than is needed to keep its ethos distinctive."
The meetings all heard that church secondary schools in Southwark diocese have a huge record of success in OFSTED reports. The Appeal also explained that church schools have a better record on being social cohesive compared to secular alternatives.