The schools minister has given Fulham Boys School days to find a new permanent site if it is going to open in September.
All 84 boys signed up for the new Church of England free school had their uniforms purchased and were ready to start at a temporary space in Gibbs Green, West Kensington, owned by developer CapCo, when secretary of state for education Michael Gove pulled the plug on Monday, June 30.
He cited the fact a permanent site was not guaranteed and blamed the new Hammersmith and Fulham Labour Council, which is reviewing plans to shut Sulivan Primary School.
Sulivan was to merge and move into nearby New King’s School and Fulham Boys School (FBS) was told by the previous Conservative council it could take over Sulivan’s Parson’s Green site after the move in two years.
The council denied making changes to its plans and insisted the Department for Education (DfE) was solely responsible.
A meeting on Wednesday with schools minister Lord Nash provided parents with an ounce of hope as he told them their 11-year-old boys could start in September if a permanent site could be found in the next few days.
Greg Hands MP organised the meeting, attended by FBS chair of governors Alex Wade and council leader Steve Cowan.
He said: “Lord Nash said he needs to see things have moved on and changed significantly since he made his decision last week and that a permanent site needs to be found.
“Things need to happen as quickly as possible and he asked the council to talk to CapCo urgently to extend the temporary site. I don’t want to raise parents’ hopes but I, FBS, the government, Boris Johnson and the Greater London Authority, and finally the council, are putting all our efforts into seeing if a space can be found.”
A spokeswoman for FBS added: “We find ourselves in exceptional circumstances and hope Lord Nash will now find an exceptional solution to enable FBS to open in September as planned.”
Furious parents are said to be threatening legal action against the DfE as a letter sent by the department in February praised the encouraging progress of the school, saying the funding agreement would be signed as soon as possible.
London mayor Boris Johnson said on Monday he is working with Mr Gove to help him find a new site as the mayor has the power to free up GLA land and buildings.
The community has rallied around FBS, with All Saints Church, in Fulham, saying they are doing all they can to support the boys and ARK Putney Academy offering places to boys.
