Underhill Proposal - A request

[X-Bumble]

Wrong again? Pointless engaging with you

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Sigh... some people just won't listen.

Whatever. We can still support our club so that's great. You can still send your kid to a local school wherever they spring up, so who cares then right?

[BeesKnees]

You are having a discussion with yourself and you are derailing a thread by harping back 20 years. Your calls for others to grow up just show how self obsessed you are.

Your history argument is false by the way. A move to south Underhill\ Copthall would still have freed the Underhill site for development with the possibility of it becoming a school 10-20 years later. The future of Underhill has already been changed by local opposition and there is no reason to think the plans cant be changed again if it can be shown that secondary school provision is already sufficient.

Wrong, wrong wrong wrong..... beeeeerrrrrrp. You don't have all the facts. Anyway... let's not all fall out over this it's not worth it.

The ball started rolling 20 years ago, and what is happening to the schools is now a direct result of that. If we couldn't stop that ball when it was first sitting there, I can't see how local schools think they can stop it now its in full flow.

If you want me to write some vacuous platitude to the teacher who posted here about how terrible it is and I fully support them and of course I'll sign your petiton etc etc. then that is just pandering and is ultimately pointless and serves no purpose.

None of that will help you, it's too late.

If I were a teacher down there, I would be sending in my CV to the academy rather than wasting time with petitions etc.
.

The plans for Underhill were for a Nursery, Infants, Junior and secondary school.
Combined local pressure forced a rethink and there is no reason to believe this is the end of the road.

This is not a petition. It is comments on a planning application.

[X-Bumble]

It will certainly be interesting to see how this pans out, that's for sure. If it is prevented, that of course asks a whole range of new questions.

[DerekRocholl]

Wrong again? Pointless engaging with you

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Sigh... some people just won't listen.

Whatever. We can still support our club so that's great. You can still send your kid to a local school wherever they spring up, so who cares then right?

I guess Alex, who in addition to being a teacher was also given the Lester Finch Award in 2013/14 for his services to the Club, may care about both !

[dawat]

Have to confess guys that this topic has taken a rather strange and pointed turn of events. Whilst walking in Whetstone last weekend I saw a group of people, some with Labour Party rosettes, talking to passers by about Underhill and the Ark school proposals. Apparently trying to garner support for an on-line petition against the proposed new school.
Now in the past when Underhill and its future came up, I suggested that a 'deal' could be possible be done involving Barnet Council. our club and a developer involving cash, permits, and ground exchanging to enable a new stadium in the borough. I naively thought that if the Council received a bribe, sorry contribution from the sale of Underhill that they might relent and assist with genuinely finding another site somewhere in the borough. Another concern I had was that the Underhill site might degenerate into a similar situation that was rife at the old Hendon FC ground. That disused ground had been taken over by travelers and homeless Eastern European migrants erecting a cardboard village.
So I am split on this proposed new school. I feel sympathy for the existing school, especially as it has made a great effort to improve its standards and local image, which quite frankly was akin to Fen Street for those old enough to remember it. I can recall one incident some years ago that my son was attacked on a bus by some of its pupils because he attended QE Boys. That said I also have a morbid pleasure in the discomfort of some local residents who were only too happy to support the Council in kicking any of the club's development proposals into touch without any regard for the possible consequences.
As we know, once the Council has made up its mind to do something it will not change it unless it is advantageous to them. If an election is looming and they are desperate to win a ward seat for example, or will receive a large donation from a development as another good example. Any consultation the Council carry out is purely window dressing designed to appear that local resident views are considered rather than dismissed out of hand which is the reality. Brian Coleman has been mentioned, and his open arrogance and distaste regarding residents views were no different to other Councillors, just less measured and more obvious.

[X-Bumble]

Have to confess guys that this topic has taken a rather strange and pointed turn of events. Whilst walking in Whetstone last weekend I saw a group of people, some with Labour Party rosettes, talking to passers by about Underhill and the Ark school proposals. Apparently trying to garner support for an on-line petition against the proposed new school.
Now in the past when Underhill and its future came up, I suggested that a 'deal' could be possible be done involving Barnet Council. our club and a developer involving cash, permits, and ground exchanging to enable a new stadium in the borough. I naively thought that if the Council received a bribe, sorry contribution from the sale of Underhill that they might relent and assist with genuinely finding another site somewhere in the borough. Another concern I had was that the Underhill site might degenerate into a similar situation that was rife at the old Hendon FC ground. That disused ground had been taken over by travelers and homeless Eastern European migrants erecting a cardboard village.
So I am split on this proposed new school. I feel sympathy for the existing school, especially as it has made a great effort to improve its standards and local image, which quite frankly was akin to Fen Street for those old enough to remember it. I can recall one incident some years ago that my son was attacked on a bus by some of its pupils because he attended QE Boys. That said I also have a morbid pleasure in the discomfort of some local residents who were only too happy to support the Council in kicking any of the club's development proposals into touch without any regard for the possible consequences.
As we know, once the Council has made up its mind to do something it will not change it unless it is advantageous to them. If an election is looming and they are desperate to win a ward seat for example, or will receive a large donation from a development as another good example. Any consultation the Council carry out is purely window dressing designed to appear that local resident views are considered rather than dismissed out of hand which is the reality. Brian Coleman has been mentioned, and his open arrogance and distaste regarding residents views were no different to other Councillors, just less measured and more obvious.

You put things a lot more succinctly than I do! lol - do you want to be my editor from now on?! LOL

[rudebwoyben]

Local elections in Barnet for all of the ward seats are next year with the Tories holding a 1 seat majority!

[BeesKnees]

A school will be built on the Underhill site. The effort has to be that it is with minimum disruption and maximum benefit. X-Bumble is right to point out that I can only go on what I read so this is my take on it.

This from the Councils research shows that there is an envisaged shortfall of primary places in Barnet.

1.23 Planning Area 5: Underhill & High Barnet: Current projections indicate a
potential future need for up to a further two forms of entry in this area. For
capital planning purposes, it has been assumed that this need will be met by
the Ark Pioneer Free school.

The issue originally highlighted by Mikel is that the shortage of provision for secondary schools is not in High Barnet so any secondary school will force either long travel throughout the borough or a reduction of students\funding to other schools.

If the original plan was for a through school and the required primary school places have been cut then the assumption has to be that it is on financial basis of secondary school pupils being worth more money than the required primary school places.

[X-Bumble]

A question (and I don't mean this to upset anyone)... on the assumption there is to be an academy or such like built there, are they actively seeking teachers down there yet. I mean, is there public drive for staff yet?

[BeesKnees]

A question (and I don't mean this to upset anyone)... on the assumption there is to be an academy or such like built there, are they actively seeking teachers down there yet. I mean, is there public drive for staff yet?

Three things I can say.
Their teaching methods are online learning with minimal teachers
ARK run a large number of schools that share resources so it is unlikely they would be seeking staff specifically for the Barnet site
They have all the software set up to run the new site.

[eastbarnetsupporter]

Does anyone have some links or photos to the old south underhill proposals? I remember seeing some in the Barnet press as a kid.

Would be nice to see what could have been!

[alexbach]

Natalie Thompson will graduate a year hence. She went to ravenscroft, gives a shit, and has a lot more class than Michael.thank you Alex has left the building

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[X-Bumble]

Natalie Thompson will graduate a year hence. She went to ravenscroft, gives a shit, and has a lot more class than Michael.thank you Alex has left the building

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You forgot to drop the mike and say 'peace out'...

[DerekRocholl]

A question (and I don't mean this to upset anyone)... on the assumption there is to be an academy or such like built there, are they actively seeking teachers down there yet. I mean, is there public drive for staff yet?

Not according to their website, but given the school is some way away from being built that's not surprising. If you are interested you can see the latest vacancies here http://arkonline.org/careers

[alexbach]

Good points.another worrying precedent for ravenscroft my side of the borough.orion school was rebuilt on the site of mill hill cricket club so two points..... 1.green belt issues conveniently forgotten. 2.orion is state of the art,has all weather pitches,two minutes walk away woodcroft. So no wonder ravenscroft are concerned

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