Where is the School going to be?
We have asked people to let us know where they would like the School to be - Bournemouth or Poole. Currently, from the responses we have received, we have more demand for a school in the Bournemouth area. However, we still need to find premises, and this is one of our priorities at the moment, so if you know of a place in the area, please let us know, and we will do our best to locate suitable premises as soon as possible.
Do we need a new school?
Both Bournemouth and Poole LEAs have announced that they need new school places, and in some areas, an extra school over the coming years. This is to particularly cope with the surge in demand for Reception places due to more children being born in the locality. In fact, this is a nationwide issue that authorities are having to face.
In addition to this, many parents do not get their preferred school place for their child, both in primary and secondary schools, and in some cases are outside of the catchment area for the school of their choice. Many would move to a different area to fall within the catchment, but many are unable to do this, and even then a place is not guaranteed.
We believe that a child's education is extremely important, and that if a parent wishes to send their child somewhere else, they should have the choice to do so.
We will not have a small catchment area, although it is planned that those living within the locality will be given preference should we become oversubscribed (again this won't be a very small area as it is for other schools).
We also believe that parents and students should have access to state-funded alternatives to the National Curriculum, and so having a Montessori-based curriculum, integrated with the International Baccalaureate, will provide that alternative.
I haven't heard of Montessori or the International Baccalaureate. How do I know it will be suitable for my child?
The Montessori curriculum has over a century-old proven track record worldwide. It is very popular in other countries, and is growing in popularity here. It moves away from the traditional "child sat at desk for the day while the teacher teaches" method of teaching, and the classrooms are different. Children are taught at their own pace, at their own level. It is a challenging curriculum that meets the need of the individual child at whatever level they are. It has been used for children who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and from privileged ones; for children who struggle and those who excel; for children with special needs and those without.
The beauty of Montessori is that every child counts, and every child receives a quality education. Timetables of teaching are not regimented as they are in the National Curriculum, which allows for a broader and more in-depth opportunity for study, and teachers have more flexibility to teach children in a way that is tailored to them.
The International Baccalaureate has also been in place since 1968, and is growing in popularity in the UK. It again offers a wider curriculum for students, and really prepares them well for life in an international world. Traditional subjects are covered, and it is a requirement to study English, maths, science, humanities and a modern foreign language throughout, alongside a study of the arts. It is characterised in the Middle Years (Years 7-11) by the personal project, and in the Diploma programme (Years 12-13) by the extended essay, which Universities value highly in their recognition of the IB as an entry qualification.
Will it be a school for everyone?
Yes, is the short answer. We will be non-selective, and we will have to show how the school benefits the whole community, including those who are most disadvantaged in the area. Our proposed admissions procedure will appear shortly on our website, along with our criteria for allocating places in the school were we to become oversubscribed. These will be very similar to other state school admission policies.
We have had some concern from parents who feel that only students who can afford to pay fees, but want to get education for free, will be given priority. This is not the case and we are not allowed to be selective. However, like other state schools we will not ask for details of a parent's income when registering their child. Every child is entitled to a state education, and everyone will be treated the same way.
We will also take students with Statements and SEN as long as we can meet their educational needs alongside our other students.
We will also take students with Statements and SEN as long as we can meet their educational needs alongside our other students.
If you only have an intake of 24 places per year group, how is that going to help?
Initially, we only intend to be a relatively small, community school with small class numbers where each child is known to all the teachers, and is a recognised member of that community.
If we find we are always oversubscribed, and there is a large demand for places at the school that we are unable to meet, we would like to think that we can increase our intake and still be a relatively small school (considering that we will be an all-through school from Reception to Year 13).
We want to listen to the local community, and see what they want, but it is early days, premises are at a premium and we will stick to our 468-place school for the time being, so as to not be overambitious and overstretched at the detriment to the students and our proposal.
How will the School be funded?
We will be funded in the same way as other state schools do (per pupil). This would be the same if a child attended a Local Authority state-funded school, or a Free School, except as a Free School we will have greater control over our budget and can make sure that more of it will go to increasing standards for the students. If you would like to know more about how Free Schools are to be funded, please feel free to contact us.
Will Parkfield New School take money away from other schools?
Both Bournemouth and Poole LEAs have to find several hundred more Reception places for the increased number of children entering schools in 2012 and beyond, so we will be creating spaces to help with meeting this demand which will have to be made somewhere. In addition, in Year 7 and Year 12, many students are not getting in to their school of choice, and so in these years where we will have an additional intake (to our existing classes) of ten students in both of these years and so this is unlikely to have a great effect on local existing schools.
Some students may transfer to the school in other years, and in our first year we will accept students up to Year 3 initially, however, our admissions in these years are a maximum of 24 students from across the area, so it is highly unlikely to affect other schools in the area, and would only have the same effect as someone moving away or switching to another state school which happens all the time.
Who is involved in setting up the School?
We are a group of local parents, teachers and business people. The names of our Steering Group can be found on our website. We also have local teachers involved, but as you can imagine, these teachers are currently in other posts, so this is sensitive information at this stage.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED, PLEASE EMAIL US AT info@parkfieldnewschool.org.uk
