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Oak Farm Community School
Hundreds attend meeting on Oak Farm's future
By Pete Castle19/ 6/2008
HUNDREDS of concerned parents and pupils packed into the main hall at Oak Farm Community School on Tuesday evening to discuss plans to close the school.
At an impassioned meeting people jostled to raise points and ask questions to a panel of Hampshire’s school planning officers. Among the concerns raised were over community facilities, racial tension and disruption if pupils are forced to move to other secondary schools at a crucial stage in their education.
Those campaigning to keep the school open drew hope from a promise from Chris Holt, the county council officer in charge of school planning, who chaired the meeting. Stressing that the school’s closure was “not a forgone conclusion” Mr Holt promised that with enough opposition to closure from the community, the school might stay open.
He pointed to the example of the nearby Pinewood Infant School in Farnborough, where a consultation on closure in 2004 led to massive opposition and a change of heart from the county council.
“Let’s stick the rumour that there are foregone conclusions about the future of the school,” Mr Holt said. “This consult-ation on closure is about measuring the strength of feeling, and this meeting is indicative of that.
“The strength of feeling is shown by the numbers of people who are bothered to make a comment. So fill in a questionnaire — it is meant to be simple because it is meant to give a simple message.”
After the meeting, Gren Earney, Oak Farm’s head teacher, repeated his plea to everyone in the area to stand up and make their views heard.
“If the community wants the school to stay open as more than just a meagre shell, they have to understand the importance of the 11 to 16 part of the school,” he said. “People need to give the school the support it deserves and desperately needs to show the politicians who will decide its fate the wishes of the comm-unity who want it to stay open. That is absolutely imperative.”
The scheduled two-hour meeting overran as pupils, parents, teachers, councillors, the police and other comm-unity members put forward their points about the need for the school. Of the more than 40 speakers who posed questions, none said that the school ought to be shut.
Several speakers criticised the consultation for only providing two options to the public, that the school should either close or stays open.
“Why is there not a third choice on the table?,” asked Tony Docker. “We could keep the school open at the size it is now and make better use of the existing buildings.
“That would be a win-win situation. You could keep the school at its current size but make much better use of the buildings here for community use."
To take part in the consultation visit www.hants.gov.uk/education/oakfarmreview
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Oak Farm close? Send us your comments by clicking on "Submit comments" below
I attended Oak Farm from September 1991 to June 1996, having chosen to go to this school above Cove Secondary School other after visiting both. My decision was not based on exam results or league tables, but on the friendly atmosphere and community feel of the school, a feeling engendered in part by the lower number of pupils.
During my five years at Oak Farm I enjoyed my classes and took part in many extra-curricular activities. The teachers were encouraging and supportive, often going beyond the call of duty in giving up their free time to run hockey practice or cookery club, conduct the orchestra, run trips to the theatre or run a basic Russian course.
I was always encouraged to do what I wanted and to achieve more. There was always a ‘can do’ attitude, which I believe is significantly responsible for my later achievements.
I left Oak Farm with 11 GCSE’s, of which 5 were at grade A* and 3 were at grade A. I went on to achieve 5 grade A’s at A Level, to earn a degree in Architecture from The Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL, the leading architecture school in the country, followed by a postgraduate Diploma at the same school, for which I was awarded a Commendation.
Last year I passed the Royal Institute of British Architects Part 3 exam and became a registered Architect, one of the meagre 13% who are women. I was also elected a Fellow of the RSA as a result of the work I carry out in my spare time as a founding trustee of the UK registered charity Architecture for Humanity UK. Not bad for a product of a ‘failing school’.
I am not unique in gaining good results and using them to pursue a successful career but exam results only tell you a certain amount about a school. They do not take into account the factors that cause those results – families coming and going, a high proportion of refugee children, a high proportion of children with English as their second language, a high proportion of children with specific learning difficulties.
There are other statistics that can be brought to bear, for example the best ‘Value Added’ for miles, but what you learn at school goes beyond statistics and exam results.
To see where Oak Farm really distinguishes itself you have to look further. The breadth of extra curricular activities contributes, as does the hard work of the staff and their positive attitudes and the school’s place entwined in the local community.
Pupils and fashions may come and go, exam results may rise and fall, but Oak Farm is always there, running the annual Old Folks’ Party and the May Ball, running adult education evening classes, supporting the children with special educational needs, being the school that gives those pupils expelled from other schools a second chance and the encouragement to do better, and always seems to have to work harder to earn the respect it deserves.
It seems that Oak Farm has been regarded as the ‘runt of the litter’ of the schools in the area and the respect and support that should rightfully have been accorded the school by the Local Authority do not appear to have been forthcoming.
I hope that you will agree with me that given the many achievements of this school, many of them hidden or immeasurable or both, it would be shocking and unfair to allow it to be closed. I would ask you to do everything in your power to ensure it remain open.
Yours faithfully,
Sarah Earney Bsc(Hons) DipArch ADPP ARB FRSA
23/06/2008 at 23:02