Carlton school

• CAMDEN’s process to close Carlton school proceeds apace.

It took the council almost a year to produce a document detailing its proposals and gives the parents, school staff and the community just six weeks to produce an alternative.

Two months ago the council’s cabinet agreed, we thought, to provide financial information on the costs of closure and the merger (actually a take-over by Rhyl) as against the costs of Carlton continuing as a legal entity, albeit with changes to its future operation.

This financial information had been sought many times before. Camden Council continues to drag its feet on producing this information, essential to the work on the alternative model being developed by parents and the community.

This alternative model focuses on thinking outside the narrow box of the council’s lacklustre proposals and concentrates on a community-based model for early years children to give them the best start in life.

It locates this in a post Covid-19, internet based, society and, more to the point, a school which is based in the context of existing community provision and needs.

Also at its centre is a governing body based on people with a direct involvement with the new model school. Such involvement empowers local people and enhances community cohesion, something which the council seemingly does not welcome.

Perhaps the cabinet member for children, Cllr Angela Mason can now honour her pledge about providing the financial information.

MICK FARRANT, SUSANNE KORD, JOHN LANDAU, FRANCES RIFKIN
NW5