Labour-run Camden’s new Community Investment Programme includes nothing to help with the shortage of primary school places in the Belsize/NW3 area. This is despite there being an acute shortage of places in reception classes, which is set to get worse over the next few years, due to a rise in birth rates.

There is a plan to build a new school in West Hampstead, and this will benefit children in that area, but it is too far away and places there will go to children in Brent before they help with the shortage of places in Kilburn, Swiss Cottage or Belsize. Also, the Liddell Rd school won’t be open until 2015 and the problem is going to be very acute from next year.

 

Community-led solution offers hope

 

Working with local parents, Lib Dem Cllr Tom Simon has come up with a solution to the shortage problem – a free school using a pair of vacant Camden-owned hostels. This school would be located right in the heart of the problem area, it would access central government funding and would open in 2012. This would be a community-led project that would seek to work as closely as possible with Camden. It would be a non-faith school open to all people and would follow Camden’s standard curriculum.

 

Cllr Tom Simon said “This would be a very effective way of dealing with the problem and would benefit children in NW3 and NW6. We now need Camden to support the plan”.

 

Do you have a child who will need a primary school place in the next few years? Would you like to help local parents solve the shortage problem? Please get in touch with Cllr Tom Simon on tomhsimon@yahoo.co.uk

 

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