Save Old Town

[@mwooly63]

Is this like the new one they are building over North Swindon - but it is being backed by the diocese of bath or someone, so surely that religious school and will I suspect have a slant on religion rather than being a 'normal' mainstream secondary school.

This seems to be what is happening rather than schools just being built independently they are seemingly getting linked to some organisation, I'd assume it is a financial thing so the council / government don't fork out.

I think the council aren't building any new schools, all new ones will be 'free' schools so not SBC funded at all

[Ardiles]

This will be a dormitory for London and Oxford. 

Spot on.  The under-investment in Swindon town centre is now so acute - and has continued for so many years - that it’s probably now past the point where it could be rescued.  So as the town continues to expand, that’s exactly what you create.  A giant suburb/dormitory town with no discernible centre of its own.

[Nemo]

I walked through the Town Centre recently; the Outlet Village at one end is clearly nice, and the bit where Swindon College used to be is reasonable if a bit soulless, but the strip in between is horrendous. There just doesn't seem to be much strategic planning around it at all, which is sad to see. Flattening everything in between and building a fairly nice set of commuter homes might be seen as an admission of defeat, but it might just be the best use of the land.

[Reg Smeeton]

Spot on.  The under-investment in Swindon town centre is now so acute - and has continued for so many years - that it’s probably now past the point where it could be rescued.  So as the town continues to expand, that’s exactly what you create.  A giant suburb/dormitory town with no discernible centre of its own.

I've been saying for a long time, that the town centre should be returned to housing....originally with the growth of the railway town, it was primarily housing, but as the need for retail grew, the houses were converted to shops, pubs etc.

Then planners flattened whole streets of perfectly viable houses, for the kind of office accommodation that seemed like the future in the late 60's early 70's.

The need for so much retail/office space just isn't there anymore....the question should be whether to go retro and rebuild terrace streets, or the more likely high density flats/apartments.

[Simon Pieman]

This is what is actually planned for the bits they are flattening

http://www.forwardswindon.co.uk/built-environment/kimmerfields/

[Power to people]

I think the council aren't building any new schools, all new ones will be 'free' schools so not SBC funded at all

So free schools as I understand have to be 'sponsored' so in the case of the Diocese of bristol having an interest that would surely be to make the school aligned with their religious beliefs so those children who's parents aren't religious or don't follow religion or follow a different religion will not want to send their kids to this school - am I right or getting this totally wrong ?

Same with schools surely that are 'sponsored' by big businesses they will want the more talented children rather than the less talented.

[Reg Smeeton]

I think the council aren't building any new schools, all new ones will be 'free' schools so not SBC funded at all

The Tories have a bill coming up in Parliament to force all schools to be academies...so for better or worse, only accountable to the D o E.

Wilshaw the departing head of Ofsted, as a parting shot has stated that the present academy program hasn't raised standards.  With the crisis in recruiting and retaining teaching staff, it will allow an increase in unqualified people in a teaching role.

[Mother Brown]

Talking of Old Town Reg.
Have you ever heard of the saying . . "you are as bright as a Toc h lamp"
Was said club situated opposite the Bell on High Street.
The symbol was a kind of teapot/alladins lamp.

[Reg Smeeton]

Talking of Old Town Reg.
Have you ever heard of the saying . . "you are as bright as a Toc h lamp"
Was said club situated opposite the Bell on High Street.
The symbol was a kind of teapot/alladins lamp.

Never heard the saying, but yes, the Toc H hostel was opposite the Bell.

Toc H, came into being in the Great War as a way of trying to bring some sanity to the men at the front. Post war, it tried to help out men who'd fallen on hard times. Think the lamp was a sort of symbol of trying to bring light into darkness.

If it's clubs that interest you then check out the High Street Club....been there for donkeys, think I've only ever been in it once.

[Not that Nice If I'm Honest]

Talking of Old Town Reg.
Have you ever heard of the saying . . "you are as bright as a Toc h lamp"
Was said club situated opposite the Bell on High Street.
The symbol was a kind of teapot/alladins lamp.

I thought it was "Dim as toc h lamp" ??

[Sippo]

So free schools as I understand have to be 'sponsored' so in the case of the Diocese of bristol having an interest that would surely be to make the school aligned with their religious beliefs so those children who's parents aren't religious or don't follow religion or follow a different religion will not want to send their kids to this school - am I right or getting this totally wrong ?

Same with schools surely that are 'sponsored' by big businesses they will want the more talented children rather than the less talented.

Schools aren't sponsored. MAT's get funding direct from the government, instead of their LEA. It means the schools have more freedom on what they spend their money on.

I don't know a lot about the diocese of bristol, and not sure they push their values...

[Reg Smeeton]

Schools aren't sponsored. MAT's get funding direct from the government, instead of their LEA. It means the schools have more freedom on what they spend their money on.

I don't know a lot about the diocese of bristol, and not sure they push their values...

So Osborne wants to make sure all schools become academies, all academies become chains, presumably run by the likes of Capita, Serco and G4S....you'd have thought the Education Minister might have announced it, but I suppose it's to do with making money for the aforementioned, so Osborne's gig.

Further, no parent governors to be elected, qualified teacher status to be binned, and the school day to be extended til 4:30-5:00 for kids.

As someone in the education sector what think you?

[suttonred]

So Osborne wants to make sure all schools become academies, all academies become chains, presumably run by the likes of Capita, Serco and G4S....you'd have thought the Education Minister might have announced it, but I suppose it's to do with making money for the aforementioned, so Osborne's gig.

Further, no parent governors to be elected, qualified teacher status to be binned, and the school day to be extended til 4:30-5:00 for kids.

As someone in the education sector what think you?

Not sippo but I work in education, On a personal note most of our funding comes from Surrey CC. Obviously that wont be happening, so looking grim for the near future for me. On a wider note most of the schools that wanted to be academies have, so most of the remainder wont be happy, certainly up here

[Sippo]

People make out academies to be bad, but we have seen the opposite. We are currently an 8 school MAT and looking to grow. 2 of those schools were failing, and have since been turned around since joining the academy.

As for the longer day, there are always after school clubs going on, and to be honest, I can't see the longer day happening.

Sponsorship? That will be a no go. Academies have to register as a charity. Sponsorships won't work as BSF has proved in the past.

[Arriba]

The academy system appears to me to be the typical Tory tactic of shifting things on that require a bit of work.
They seem to do it with everything publicly owned. Has anything they have done this with benefited from it ?