Etz Chaim School - Mill Hill - Official response to the Action Group statement - Guest Blog

Last week, The Barnet Eye published a blog detailing the issues related to the proposed Etz Chaim Free School on the site of Wyevale nursery, Daws Lane Mill Hill. We invited both sided of the argument to state their case in guest blogs. Earlier this week the Action Group opposing the site detailed their case. Today the supporters of the school issued their response. We do not comment on guest blogs, but felt that it is necessary to set the context for this particular post.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guest blog by  Mark Frazer (on behalf of Etz Chaim School),

We’re grateful for this rare opportunity to respond directly to some of the points raised by the ‘action group’ and we’d like to say how disappointed we are at much of the content of their guest blog which ranges from skewed information which is likely to mislead readers to plain untruths.

I’d like to begin by addressing perhaps the most upsetting accusation, which may also be the most misleading part of the blog entry. Ms Samuelson says, “To take away a resource is selfish”. We must be very clear on this point. The school is not taking anything away from the community. It is now widely known that the Garden Centre’s parent company is being sold off by Lloyds Banking Group and though we will all be very sorry to see it close, it is entirely wrong to suggest that the school is at fault for the financial position of the Garden Centre Group. Frankly, the ‘action group’s’ constant assertions that we have offered some extortionate amount of money for the site or that Sir Tom Hunter has somehow personally intervened to sell off a successful business because of his interest in educational causes, are insulting. These suggestions, which are supported by no evidence at all, do the ‘action group’ no credit. Ms Samuelson should hope that Sir Tom’s lawyers are not among the readers of ‘Barnet Eye’.

The ‘action group’ suggest that they have ‘offered’ a number of locations to us, this despite our explanation that each of their suggestions had already been considered and ruled out for various reasons. I do hope that Ms Samuelson and her colleagues will understand that given the choice between taking advice from them or from Partnerships for Schools and the Department for Education, we have felt compelled to take the latter option.

Ms Samuelson says that the projected uptake for the school ‘will fall in the next 2 years’ and further suggests that she has heard this prediction directly from us. I can only say that this is entirely false. We have been given no reason to believe that uptake will fall in the next two years and have never suggested any such thing.

We have also apparently ‘refused’ to speak with the elderly and disabled members of our community. Once again, this is simply untrue, we have spoken to many hundreds of residents and continue to do so. Ms Samuelson would have us believe that the Garden Centre is some sort of publicly funded clinical therapy home and not simply the private retail establishment that it is. Supporters of the school are also local residents and will certainly miss what has been a popular venue in Mill Hill but, at the risk of being repetitive, we are not responsible for its closure; we can only be responsible for what replaces it.

Finally, Ms Samuelson assures us that she has read ‘all the documents’ and goes on to make a number of quite silly points:

1.       “Primary school place shortages list does not include Mill Hill” – It’s not clear which ‘list’ she is referring to but demonstrating a shortage of places was an essential prerequisite to our funding application. If there were no demand there would certainly be no school. It is disappointing that the ‘action group’ still pursue this argument despite their assurances that they are not opposed to the school, only the location.  

2.       “There is not one child of school age marked on the school catchment map in the immediate area down to go to the school and only 2 children of nursery age.” With respect, this again, is simply not true. While our policy is not to release specific numbers, I can assure readers that Etz Chaim will serve the local community and suggestions to the contrary are very troubling.

3.       “According to the catchment shown it is likely that 150 – 190 cars (including staff) will drive to this location.  This is matched by comparisons with other schools in the immediate area.” When the school opens we will have less than 50 pupils and eight members of staff. Ms Samuelson appears to be suggesting that each pupil will bring with them an entourage of 3 to 4 cars. We have repeatedly stressed that Etz Chaim, as a one form entry school cannot be compared to other larger schools. The truth of course is that our travel plan will mean that there is very little impact on traffic in the early years of the school. Even when the school reaches its capacity we have measures in place to ensure that the traffic impact is kept to a minimum. These plans have been submitted with our publicly available planning application.

4.       “Athletics and dance are hardly suitable opportunities for the elderly and disabled.” Athletics and dance are just two of the suggestions that we have received for community activities. Others have included ‘Sunday Clubs’ and an allotment which may well be suitable for the elderly and disabled. We are not trying to replace the Garden Centre or replicate exactly what it offered to the community - we expect that some positive uses will be lost and that new and different positive uses will emerge in their place.  

5.       “We have heard that it could be a Tesco. Yet Barnet Council acknowledge that they have received no other enquiries for the site, despite the rumours and misinformation put out by the School’s proponents.” Firstly, we have never suggested that anyone else is purchasing the site save for making the point that another party could do so if we were not on the scene. It should be of no surprise that Barnet Council has received no other offers for the site at this stage since the school has an agreement in place with the Garden Centre, subject of course to planning permission.

To be clear, the ‘action group’ have never offered ‘to work with’ the proponents of the school. Ms Samuelson may though be referring to their offer to ‘help us to find an alternate location’. In fact no constructive advice or support has ever been offered. This is clearly demonstrated by Ms Samuelson’s ‘solution’. She suggests a second temporary location and then, “From there, find and develop a permanent site which will not remove the heart of the community from the community.”  This could not be more revealing, the action group’s proposed solution is to find a different site. If they have properly read any of this response I hope they will recognise that not only is there no other appropriate site but that given the circumstances, Etz Chaim will prove to be a huge asset that Mill Hill can be proud of. We welcome all constructive suggestions for ways in which we can serve the community at our specially dedicated website and we look forward to hearing from you all.  

Mark Frazer

The Barnet Eye always welcomes guest blogs on subjects of local interest. Please email me via the email in the side bar. The views represented in this blog are the views of the author and do not reflect the views of the Barnet Eye. Guest blogs are printed without comment or editing.

New Jewish School for Mill Hill - Some info if you are interested

There seems to be an unprecedented amount of interest in the new school proposal. There is an opportunity to view the proposals - Wednesday 30th March3.30pm -9.00pm Ex-Civil Defence Building, 80 Daws Lane, NW7.

For those of you who are interested in whst the school are trying to achieve - check their website - http://www.etzchaim-primaryschool.org.uk/our-school/vision-and-ethos.html 

They say :-

Vision and Ethos

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School is a one form entry primary school set in the heart of Mill Hill, North London, providing a high quality education for children aged 3 – 11 years. Our Nursery, on site, is separate to our Primary School but has close links to the school to ease progress during the change from the nursery year to school.

We are committed to the practice of Orthodox Judaism. Community, charity, religious knowledge and the ethical and moral values described in the Torah will permeate all aspects of our school life. Our pupils will be proud of their Judaism, its religious practices and traditions, support Israel and encouraged to play a full and active role as a British Jew in the wider community.

Established in response to the local Jewish community’s need for an Orthodox Jewish primary school in the area, Etz Chaim is actively supported by the parents in the local Jewish community, whose Jewish values and practices will be developed and encouraged at school.

The school has a very strong link with the local community and Mill Hill United Synagogue, being fully supported by Rabbi Shochet who has been an active partner during its creation.

Our pupils will be successful learners who enjoy learning, make excellent progress and achieve well. We will develop children’s personal skills to help them achieve academically and become lifelong learners and lovers of learning. Our graduates will be confident individuals who are able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Furthermore, they will be responsible citizens who will make a positive contribution to British and Jewish society.

Etz Chaim is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and all staff share this commitment. The school is inclusive and accessible; one where equality of opportunity goes hand in hand with a broad and balanced curriculum to develop each child's potential. Furthermore, we will promote an atmosphere of encouragement, acceptance and respect for achievements in which all children can thrive; a climate of warmth and support in which confidence and self-esteem can flourish.

There will be a broad and balanced curriculum, tailored to the needs of all our learners. This will promote both subject related skills and knowledge, as well as the development of life skills and independence and safe and healthy lifestyle choices. The curriculum will foster the development of pupils’ personal, social and emotional skills and qualities.
--------------
If you want to know more about the general movement for free schools read this -
http://newschoolsnetwork.org/about-us/our-mission

Mill Hill Jewish School - Interview with Chair of Governors

Adam Dawson is chair of the board of Governors at Etz Chaim, the New Jewish Free School which plans to open in Mill Hill in September. The Barnet Eye met Mr Dawson to discuss issues raised regarding the school.

There were a few points I wanted to clarify and there were a few points Adam wanted to make to me. We decided that neutral ground would be a good place. We agreed Frattellis Coffee bar at 6pm. The meeting got off to a very bad start. Our chosen venue closes at 6pm, so we had to make a hasty adjournment to Costa Coffee.

 

I asked Adam how it was going. He said "I am starting to feel like the most hated man in Mill Hill". Welcome to the club. What is his motivation for getting involved? This was an easy question "There are not enough places at the existing Jewish Schools for the parents that want to give their children a Jewish Education". This is a statement of fact. Is the school associated with Shul in Mill Hill? "No, they are not financially backing the school, although we don't rule out asking them in future". Now I see nothing wrong with it if they were. I just asked the question to understand the nature of the proposal. Is the school only open to Orthodox Jewish Children. "No, 50% have to have a CRP form (confirmation of Religious Practise form) and 50% do not require any formal association with the faith, other than a desire to attend the school". Why do you want to take over the Nursery "It is the most financially viable site". What about the traffic "We expect the vast majority of Children to walk to school, many live in Poets Corner. We also plan to stagger opening times and offer early drop off for parents who need to get to work early, this will smooth out the traffic flow". Adam acknoweldged that once children are in, siblings may pose an issue if the family move. What about the loss of amenity "We are looking at ways to address this". Have you made mistakes in how you've engaged with the people of Mill Hill "Yes, I've never done anything like this before. I genuinely didn't realise the proposal would generate hostility". Why do you think that it has "People don't understand what we are trying to do". You do recognise that people like the nursery? "They are not being forced out by us. They have made a commercial decision to assign the lease" Adam didn't want me to discuss this any further as there are ongoing commercial decisions.

 

So what do I think, having met the man with the plan? I don't really think it has changed my main concerns, regarding traffic. These won't really hit until the school has been open a few years and parents have moved, sibling attended and the first flush of zealous  walking has subsided. I fully expect the heady late summer days of the opening term to see 100% walk to school rates, but five or ten years down the line? Often the nature of schools change. Who knows what attitude the guy who replaces Adam when he's had enough may decide. Once the school is established, the rules change. I do acknowledge that he is trying to do a difficult job. There really isn't a perfect site in Mill Hill and I can see the attractions and the advantages. He has some great ideas and has clearly put in a lot of work. I think he's been badly let down by a whole raft of local politicians.

 

Perhaps the most bizarre answer he gave me was when I asked why he hadn't fully engaged with the Mill Hill Preservation Society. He told me that he'd approached them and they'd asked him to come back when the plans were drawn up. To my mind this is far too late in the day. Had they engaged and helped him seek out sites and elicit peoples views then I suspect the school would have been viewed in a completely different light. He advised me that they plan to put the plans on public display when they have been prepared (see below). This is a sensible next step. My advice was to be as open as possible, not to align with any local politicians and to try and ensure that the wider community got something from the school. We discussed a few ideas. I wait with interest to see if these make it into the plans.

 

This is a very important local issue. I am pleased that the School is now engaging with its critics face to face. As I said before, there isn't a perfect site in Mill Hill for a new School. Is this the best of the bunch? I really don't know. If I were one of the supporters of the school, I'd lay my cards out as to why, when commercial considerations allow. I said to Adam that if I'd been the one planning the school, I'd have gone about the whole thing in a different manner. His response "With hindsight, so would I". Fair comment

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An exhibition of the plans for Etz Chaim - will be held on Wednesday 30th March3.30pm -9.00pm Ex-Civil Defence Building, 80 Daws Lane, NW7

 

The Mill Hill Jewish School - Pros and Cons

There was a public meeting tonight to discuss the New Jewish School in Mill Hill. I decided to sit this out, because as far as I'm concerned the issues are clear cut and to do with environment and planning rather than the actual issue of the school.

Lets look at the issues which have caused the proposal for the New Jewish School to arise.

1) There is a general under provision of school places in Barnet. The school will help address this.
2) There is underprovision of places for parents who want a Jewish education. The School will also help address this.

Now Lets look at why people might oppose the new school.

1) They are anti semitic. The vast majority of people in Barnet would have no time for this argument.
2) They don't agree with faith schools. This is a more divisive issue. Lets put aside the rights and wrongs of the argument. There are currently faith schools in Barnet. To deny Jewish parents the right to select it is discriminatory. By all means campaign against the principle, but not a particular institution.
3) People are worried about the traffic, given the location of the school. This is a major issue. The location could probably not be worse. If the school causes traffic jams on the A41 or A1 it could gridlock Barnet. I personally can't see how this can be avoided. An extra hundred or so cars turning up at the same time will soon back up to Mill Hill Circus. This issue must be considered and discussed.
4) They object to the loss of amenity which the closure of the Garden Centre and Cafe will cause. This is a popular local landmark. Many local people were less than happy at the loss of the former Mill Hill Swimming pool and this latest plan represents more encroachment into the park.

I personally have much sympathy with the last two arguments. There are more suitable sites available in Mill Hill, which would cause far less problems and not result in the loss of facilities for local people. I noted that the website lists a whole swathe of people who are involved in the setting up of the school. None of these people seem to have strong Mill Hill connections. I would urge the school to engage with the Mill Hill Preservation Society and find some local people to join their committee, who understand the background to the site and who could advise in ways to make the site less contentious.

It is in all of our interest to see the school find a suitable home and be successful. I have children at faith schools so I do understand the desire for such facilities, but any institution has to be a "good neighbour". I am sure that the people promoting the school are good people with good intentions. As such I'd urge them to try and ensure that they take the community with them. There are already several well established Jewish Schools in Mill Hill, including Matilda Marks and Hasmonean. These are an integral part of the community and there are no issues with local people and how they operate. That gives me great hope that any early misconceptions can be ironed out.

Oh and my biggest criticism is that there has been an apparent air of secrecy about the plans. I spoke to several members of the parks committee who claimed that the first they knew of the proposal for the siting of the school was when this blog reported it. I suspect that the problems were due more to Barnet Council and it's desire to operate in a Stalinist manner than the schools own team. I spoke, off the record, to a major supporter of the school who admitted that the cock ups caused by Barnet had soured the atmosphere. He also suggested that Matthew Offord MP trying to paint all objectors as "anti semites being whipped up by Andrew Dismore" was less than helpful. I explained that as the school will be a permanent fixture in Mill Hill, they really should get it right. We have some work to do, to agree what getting it right constitutes, but at least we are all talking now.

Lets work together to get the best school proposal we can.  We are not there yet.

Stop Press : Barnet Council withdraws report on New Jewish School from Cabinet resources meeting

Following the publication on the Barnet Leaks website of details of plans for the New Jewish school, Barnet Council have withdrawn the paper from consideration at tonights cabinet resources meeting. Nick Walkley announced this in a letter to a local resident, stating that more work was needed on the paper. I have published this letter on the Future Shape leaks website

http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-jewish-school-for-mill-hill-latest.html

From Mr Walkleys letter it was quite clear that the whole process was being rushed through. Barnet have made many costly mistakes rushing such papers through in the past. A typical case in point was the sale of Underhill Football ground. The resulting legal enquiry cost nearly a million pounds and the potential loss to the taxpayers of Barnet is several times that.

This blog has no objections to the concept of  a school for Jewish children in Mill Hill. We do however have many concerns about the fact that Barnet Council has a history of rushing things, not drawing up contracts properly and not paying sufficient regard to process. As a result, the whole community is left with huge bills. I completely understand the desire of parents pushing to get a good school for their children, I raised thousands of pounds to help rebuild my childrens school. I just urge those parents to make sure that Barnet Council do not botch the sale and end up with court cases, legal bills and delays due to "unforeseen circumstances".

Barnet Council always say "no one could have predicted that....." when things go wrong. I can predict one thing with absolute certainty. This isn't the only thing in Barnet which needs more time spent on it, more proper scrutiny doing and more attention to detail. Sadly whilst putting the details of this proposal on a blog will without doubt ensure that things are done properly, there are plenty of other things that will slip by.

Full details of proposed new Jewish School at Wyvale Nursury site

There is a cabinet paper detailing the full proposal for the New Jewish Nursery in Mill Hill at the site of Wyvale Nursury. I've published this on the Future Shape leaks website in full :-

http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2011/02/barnet-council-cabinet-report-on-new.html

Key details :-  Wyevale Ltd to transfer lease to new School, Car Park MAY be developed (with extra car parking provision elsewhere ??), Sea Cadets building to be a temporary location whilst the school site is developed. There is also an exempt report (rather oddly for a school development).

As I said before, I welcome the additional school places, I am sure it will provide an excellent education and I personally have no objections to faith schools or parents sending their children to them.

I have concerns about the loss of amenity if the car park is "developed". I have concerns that the "replacement" may be on park or green belt land. I have major concerns about the effect on traffic as 150 parents drop their kids off so close to the A1/A41. All of these would be true, regardless of the religious nature of the school. I am also rather puzzled at the fact that the State is 100% funding the school. When St Vincents RC school was rebuilt, parents & supporters had to raise 10% of the figure, which amounted to approx £250,000. I wasn't aware that the rules regarding faith schools have changed. I am not sure why this rule has been waived? Can anyone shed any light on this?

The New Jewish School for Mill Hill ***** Updated 15/2/2011

************** Updated 15/2/2011 *****************
I've just been informed that the school will not be in the Garden Centre Site, it will be in the HMS Barrosa Sea Cadet building on the other side of the Car Park.
***********************************************
I've been bombarded with calls & texts regarding the news that the new Jewish school in Mill Hill is going to be located in the site currently housing Wyevale Garden Centre in Daws Lane (formerly Mill Hill Swimming Pool).
There are many aspects of this which I believe are positive. Firstly Barnet has a shortage of school places, which the school will help relieve. I've no doubt that it will be heavily oversubscribed and this will take the pressure off other local schools. I've no doubt that it will offer a great quality of education. As all my children have attended faith schools, I believe that parental choice in such matters is a right. It is fair to say that faith schools generally provide a higher standard of education (as born out by results) and the requirement for parents to contribute a minimum of 10% to capital costs mean that it is a cheap option for Councils needing to increase provision.

I don't subscribe to the arguements of their opponents. I think we should try and average up, not dumb down. I attended RC schools from age 4-15. Interestingly enough, I was talking to Romal, owner of the Day of The Raj, who is a Muslim and also attended Finchley Catholic High School. He said that he got a first class education there and would send his children there if possible. Like all parents, he wants a decent education and recognises the value of a traditional framework. FCHS is committed to the comprehensive system delivering a great education to pupils of all levels. I am pleased that they are not considering the "academy" route.

Having said all of that I have two major reservations about the new Jewish School, neither of which have anything to do with the "jewish" element of the establishment. Firstly the location. The site of the former swimming pool was donated to the London Borough of Barnet, to be used as a swimming pool for the community. There is a chronic lack of recreational facilities for young people and the school will ensure that the site will never be returned to community usage. There are plenty of empty sites which were formerly educational establishments in Mill Hill. St Josephs College on Lawrence St, St Marys Abbey (Holcombe House) and the former St Vincents School buildings. All of these have owners wanting to convert them into flats/houses. I'd rather see existing sites reused.

Secondly there is the traffic implications. I suspect that the school will result in even more traffic jams in the Borough. This may have implications for the A41/A1 as traffic starts to tail back, buses get delayed and Mill Hill grinds to a halt. 150 cars all wanting to stop in the same place at the same time, will have a huge impact on traffic. When St Vincents School was redeveloped, a suggestion was made to have a dedicated drop off point, off the road. This was rejected on the grounds that the Local Authority wanted to encourage public transport usage. Chaos has ensued on the Ridgeway. I'm all for improved school provision, but serious thought should be given to minimising the disruption they cause everyone else.

I have been told that the school will open in September. I recall the debates regarding JCoSS and the development issues. I supported the development, but I like many people was not happy with the Environmental impact. Sadly Barnet Council seems to give no thought at all to such matters. The sad truth is that, as  a society, we are addicted to our cars. Any school (or any other development) should be designed with this in mind. Burying heads in sand has just resulted in gridlock at School time. Radical solutions are needed, but will not be found with a knob person like Brian Coleman in charge of roads.