Carlton school

• DESPITE our attempts to wring information out of Camden Council on the costs of closure of Carlton school, there is nothing but procrastination.

Yet the community, in developing its own model, is criticised by the council for not costing theirs.

About a year ago it was being stated that the cost of keeping Carlton as a one-form-entry school was a mere £100k per year.

Such a sum is negligible when, to give but one local example, some £4million was not collected in a debt from the Talacre site housing developers.

We wonder that the council is trying to hide.

We are also of the view that the “consultation” process was seriously flawed, not meeting the Department for Education “meaningful engagement” requirements.

An estimated 25 per cent of the population were excluded as they had no proper access to the internet-based approach. The Covid-19 restrictions also denied access to paper documents.

At one of the poorly attended community events it was suggested a ballot should be held. The council officer rejected this outright and refused to give any reason for refusal. Obviously this form of democracy is not available to us.

Perhaps most worrying of all is the somewhat dismissive attitude of the council officer who ran the community consultations of the model being developed, in the matter of a few weeks, by parents and people living in the area and who know their community.

It is far from clear whether and when the cabinet and other councillors will be given the details and explanation and rationale of the community approach by those who have developed it. Again, hardly “meaningful engagement”.

Council officers seem oblivious that their plans for Carlton will have profound effects on our children and community for decades.

SAJIDA BEGUM
Parent

DALU CHOWDURY
Former Head Teacher

MICK FARRANT
Former Chair of Governors

SUSANNE KORD
Former Governor

SHODA RACKAL
Parent

JOHN LANDAU
FRANCES RIFKIN
Residents