It seems that Hammersmith and Fulham have decided not to listen to parents and other stakeholders in the borough after all then.

Having spent thousands of pounds of tax-payers’ money consulting them about their views on plans for secondary schools in the borough, they see fit to ignore them. Online, I clicked on the option “view what others have said” and the vast majority seemed not to agree with the council’s options and and many supposted 'PASS', the pressure group Parents Alliance For Secondary Schools.

All parents care about is the education of their children, but the council seem not to be bothered with that, instead they make political decisions about provision. Oh well, when parents vote with their feet and continue to educate their offspring in other boroughs or privately, as they have been doing at an alarming rate for the last five years, we will have wonderful looking, all singing, all dancing school buildings, that are half empty.

Some councillors may wonder what went wrong, at which point, let’s hope someone reminds them that they didn’t hear, didn’t listen and didn’t act on what parents were saying. It’s parents who decide where to send their children to be educated, please don’t forget that!

Toby Holdsworth

via email