CONSULTATION - Answers to Questions Parents have Raised

This sheet was given to attendees at the consultation event at Barrow Hill on 16 December 2024

Answers to some questions parents have been asking:

1. When will the minutes of Governors’ meetings requested in the Freedom of Information request be made available to parents?

A: Before the end of term. The reason for the delay is that the minutes contain confidential information – such as matters related to individual staff – which should never be made public. But they also contain information which was marked as “confidential” at the time of the meetings, but which can now be made public. For example, this includes discussions about the future of schools in the area which were confidential at the time, but can now rightly be made public as the consultation proposal has been made public. We are in the process of going through the minutes to determine what can and can’t be made public. We aim to be transparent, and our instinct is to share as much information as possible.

2. Can there be more consultation events?

A: Yes, if people would like them we could organise these before 24 January. Some have asked for longer events, perhaps in the evening to allow more people to attend and to encourage more discussion. Barrow Hill Governors are fully committed to this consultation and do want to hear the views of parents. The more you can explain to us why you hold a specific view (not just what that view is) the more that gives us information we can work with in the future.

Some people have also shared their views with trusted people within the parent community. We encourage discussion among parents, and are happy to listen to views however they are put to us.

3. What is the size of the reduction in the number of children in Westminster?

A: Since 2017 there has been a fall of more than 2,300 children of primary school age (Reception to Y6 totals have fallen from 10,107 in 2017/18 to 7,780 in 2024/25, and are projected to fall to 7,037 by 2027/28).

 In the St John’s Wood area, the decrease is around 300 children (Reception to Y6 totals have fallen from 2,295 in 2017/18 to 1,989 in 2024/25, and are projected to fall to 1,749 by 2027/28).

We have put a presentation including all these trends on the Barrow Hill website – under the ‘News’ tab.

4. Why has planning permission not already been secured for the proposed changes to Robinsfield? 

A: Because this is a consultation, not an agreed plan. If the proposal goes ahead, the local authority will seek planning permission for the changes to the Robinsfield site. But first we are listening to the views of parents. 

5. If the local authority can spend money renewing the Robinsfield site, why can’t they give that money to the schools now to keep them going? 

A: The council are willing to invest capital budgets in sustainable schools. That means schools which are financially viable. They couldn’t keep throwing additional revenue at schools which are not fundamentally viable.

6. Will the new school require a uniform?

A: This is a question still to be resolved. We welcome parents’ views on this. Most importantly, if the new school is formed it will draw on the strengths of all three schools. It should feel familiar to parents, but also genuinely different as it draws on these different traditions.

7. What happens to school deficits when schools amalgamate? 

A: They are written off by the council. Put another way, they actually come out of the education budget available for all schools, but as far as the amalgamated schools are concerned they start with a blank slate. That’s why it is important that any new school has a viable financial future ahead of it: it needs to be sustainable.