North London Free School Newspaper [1]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011

NEWSFREE

SCHO

OLNorth London Free School (NLFS) is

a group of experienced teachers, parents, and professionals from Enfield. We are hoping to open a Primary Free School in Enfield to offer parents a different school choice and to provide local school places for local children. We know the local authority schools are doing a fantastic job in the Enfield area. However, pupil projections suggest that there will be a huge demand for more primary school places from September 2011 and onwards. Eastern Enfield, Edmonton and Enfield Town are the areas where the need for primary places is most serious as these areas have seen an increase in the numbers of children due to factors such as the high birth rate, migration and new housing. To help the LA respond to this growing demand for places, we have launched an initiative to set up a primary school through the Government’s Free Schools programme. This way, we aim to join the LA’s family of schools by providing more school places and bringing some of the lost BSF funding back to Enfield.

Our team, who began work on the project in 2010, believe we can create a school which delivers excellence in education for Enfield by promoting high quality, innovative teaching along with traditional values such as hard work and strong discipline. We have already spoken to MPs, councillors, and members of the community. We are now taking advice from such educational bodies such as New Schools Network to ensure we offer a truly first rate educational programme.

We are currently looking at a possible

site close to Enfield Town centre (p. 4) and plan to open in September 2012.

Your Free Schoolin Enfield

The NLFS campaign for a Free School is centred on the Enfield community.

We want to ensure that every primary school parent in the area has the

chance to know about what we are doing and make an informed choice about their child’s education.

This newsletter aims to let you know why we want a new school and why we

want it to become a valued part of our community. We would like to thank all local businesses that have supported the costs of this publication through advertising.

Please show your support by signing our petition on the back page!

The NLFS PhiLoSoPhy

What’s insideThe NLFS Free School Ambition

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

s 4-5

s 7

NLFS knows how important education is in giving children the best possible start in life. After years of experience in education, as parents and as teachers, our group knows what makes a great primary school.

We believe a great primary school should:• beasafeandsecureenvironmentforlearning.• fosteraclimateofhighexpectations.• ensure pupils are equippedwith basic skillsbutalsostretchedbeyondtheirinitialambitions.• encouragecriticalthinkingskillsandpersonalwellbeing.• promotesocialcohesionbyremovingbarrierstolearningandinclusion.• communicate with parents and carers toaddressindividuallearningrequirements.• workwiththewidercommunitytoencouragegreaterparticipationincitizenship.• prepareitsstudentsforlifeafterschool,notjustforpassingexams.

NLFS FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 20112

We believe that NLFS will

achieve its aims because it

takes its strength from the

community.

The NLFS goal is certainly to

provide children with enjoyment

alongside high quality

education. We will provide a

new choice in a crowded part

of Enfield that will help the

area by taking some of the

burden from the borough’s

shoulders, but also help parents

and students by guaranteeing

small class sizes, more parental

involvement and an emphasis

on teaching English and Maths.

By founding our school on the

universal values, discipline

and respect, we will create

an effective and sustainable

educational environment for

young people in the town.

There are an increasing number

of reception and primary

school children in Enfield, but

existing schools do not have

enough capacity to offer places

to all of them. Help us help the

community by supporting our

proposal to open a new primary

school and secure Enfield’s

education for the future.

EnfieldFreeSchool:What’s it all about?The NLFS Free School will be defined by the

following characteristics which we think make for a

great education:

• Smallclasssizes(22maximum)• Outstandingandenthusiasticteachers

• One-to-onetuitiontime• Exciting curriculum designed for ourstudents• Latestteachingandlearningresources• Friendlylearningenvironment• Strongdiscipline

The Free School Proposal Process Explained

Contact the New Schools

Network.

Speak to parents and

the community.

Submit a proposal to the Department for

Education.

Department checks the proposal

and conditionally agrees to it.

Proposers write a business plan and outline all aspects of the new school.

Department approves final business plan.

Sign contract with Secretary of State.

Hire staff and equip buildings.

School opens!

There are four stages to setting up a free school. NLFS are currently at the second stage of the process. When we submit our proposal to the Secretary of State, we need as much evidence of local support as possible, so please sign our petition on the back page.

m m m m

Message fromour team

David Burrowes MP and Nick De Bois MP have welcomed the NLFS’s proposal to set up a primary school in the borough. They stated that this is a fantastic example of community involvement helping to raise the attainment of the children living in Enfield. They also added that the initiative NLFS is taking clearly reflects the Government’s policy which states that if you give people more power and control over their lives, they can make better decision than those others would make on their behalf.

Professor Mustafa Djamgoz, distinguished member of our team, has dedicated his life to finding a cure to cancer. In addition to his research and efforts in his field, he opened a charity shop on 22nd January 2011 to collect support for the work of Pro-Cancer Research Fund.

Community Views on the Enfield Free School

Opening Hours: 08.30 - 23.00


A Team from the CommunityOne of the first steps in setting up a Free School is setting up a Board of Governors made up of people from across the community. We are proud to have a team composed of members from a wide variety of backgrounds who all live in Enfield and the surrounding area.

Mr. M. Djamgoz: Therecan be nothing morerewardingthanmakingpositivedifferenceinthelivesof youngpeople.I am proud of beinginvolvedinthisproject.Professor of Cancer BiologyImperial College

Mr. Fatih Kahraman:Iamproudtobepartofthistalentedteamtakingthisinitiativetoservethecommunitybysettingupaprimaryschoolwhich,Ifirmlybelieve,willexcelinallaspects.Science TeacherFormer Deputy Head

Mr Huseyin Ozer: Althoughmymaininterestistodothebestinthecateringandhospitalitysector,IhavealsoenjoyedsharingmyknowledgeandskillswithyoungpeoplethankstomyjobasalectureratMiddlesexUniversity.SettingupaprimaryschoolinwhichyoungmindscanflourishwillbethegreatestlegacyIcanleave.Chef and Businessman

AcclaimedasoneofLondon’s leadingchefs,Huseyin Ozer is a food professional andentrepreneurwhoownstheSofrarestaurantgroupinLondon.HehasalsodemonstratedhisphilanthropiccredentialsbyfoundingtheHuseyinOzerEducationalCharityTrust,whichhelpsfinanceeducationforyoungchildrenfromunderprivilegedbackgroundsaswellassharinghis

skillsinaverygenerouswaybyteachingthekeyelementsneededtobesuccessfulinthecateringandhospitalitysectoratMiddlesexUniversitytostudentswhoaimtogeta‘CertificateinPersonalandProfessionalDevelopment’.HehasappearedonsoapoperasandseveralTVprogrammesincludingBBCandDiscoveryChannelaswellasthepublicfestivals.

Mirel la Issaias: I am both an ArtPsychotherapist andone of the foundingmembersofExposureOrganisationLimited,t h e m u l t i - a w a rdwinningyouthmediaenterprise based innorthLondon.Mystrengthsincludedevelopingyoungpeople’screativeabilitiesandhelpingthemexpressthemselvesvisually.Havingworkedinthisindustryforthelast14years,Ihavedevelopedagreatdealofunderstandingofchildrenandyoungpeople.Ibelievetheydeserve,andareentitledto,thebesteducationpossible.Ialsofeelstronglyaboutmeetingeachchild’sindividualneeds,supportingthemwithanydifficultieswhichmaybepreventingthemfromachievingtheirfullpotential.Art Psychotherapist

Mrs Gina Ahmed: Iam

sureourprojectwillhelp

lessentheburdenonthe

LAschoolsandcreatemore

optionsforparentswhoare

nowfeelinganxiousabout

lack of enough primary

placesintheborough.

Barrister

M r A q b a r a l i

Amaneer: The NLFS

project aims to be

beneficialtothewhole

community.Ourschool

willbeopentoalland

dedicated to high

achievement.

Former Head of ICT Department

Phodis Evangelou:

TThe NLFS is a very

worthy project putting

theeducationalneedsof

childrenofthecommunity

firstforabrighterfuture.

287,600 – Population of Enfield

27,118 – Current Primary School Capacity

4261 – Number of places needed by 2015

4.5% – Permanent percentage deficit of Primary School Reception places predicted for the next five years.

280 – Places our proposed school will be able to offer.

£101m – investment lost to the BSF cuts.2

42% – Percentage of Primary School children who do not speak English as a first language.

450 – Parents who have signed our petition.

1- Children and Young People in Enfield, 2008, Enfield Council

2- BSF cuts are a blow for our children, 2010, Enfield Council

Free Schools around the World

The UK Free Schools system is based on similar systems in the USA and Sweden that have been particularly effective in promoting higher educational standards in urban areas and amongst specialist groups.

Charter Schools were developed in the United States in the 1990s by teachers, parents, and educational activists who felt restricted by traditional public (state-funded) schools. Charter Schools, like Free Schools in the UK, are paid for by the state but are free from a lot of the rules and regulations which apply to

other state schools. They are free for the pupils who attend and have been highly successful in deprived urban areas where students often struggle to be motivated by the ordinary curriculum and school system.

Today in Sweden, where the Free School policy has been running for nearly twenty years, one in every eight schools is a free school. In Sweden, the movement has allowed a great number of innovative teaching methods to flourish and has helped in reducing social and ethnic segregation.

Fact & Figures1


The NLFS Free School AmbitionNLFS’s educational philosophy is founded on the two beliefs: firstly, all students can become successful learners and secondly, there are no predetermined limits to accomplishment at any age. A school’s core purpose should be to maximise children’s learning and attainment, fundamentally believing that every child can succeed. This must start at the very beginning of a child’s educational journey. In the classrooms for our youngest students, teachers will encourage children to want to do things and want to learn and so will focus explicitly on play, sociability and enjoyment. We will allow children to make guided learning choices, but then encourage them to stick with those choices rather than move around from one thing to another to promote self-esteem through real accomplishment. We will also promote the idea of shared learning at this stage with support from staff encouraging cooperation between children.Harnessing children’s natural enthusiasm for learning at this early age – making them want to want to learn – will benefit children throughout their education. Our Free School status will mean that we have a more flexible curriculum so that whilst they are at our school, children will have a great deal of choice over their own learning pathways. At the same time, by focusing on the core skills such as reading, writing, maths, and critical thinking we will equip our students with the best tools for getting the most out of education.

Our Aims for Enfield

Location, Location, Location!We are currently looking at Lombard House on Southbury Road as a site for our school. We feel it would be an excellent location in many regards. It is clean, spacious, and air conditioned with room for our school to grow. It used to be an office block so our first job will be to equip it with classroom

facilities. At this stage, the government will help us with funding to ensure we get high-quality equipment. The building is under a mile from Enfield Town Centre and has excellent road and rail links.


The NLFS Free School AmbitionNLFS will benefit from the extra freedom afforded to Free Schools so that we can design our teaching and learning programme in accordance with the specific needs of our pupils. Our teaching and learning methods will have a special focus on basic skills such as reading and writing English, and on mathematics. Because the Enfield community is ethnically and culturally diverse, we expect a significant number of pupils who do not speak English as a first language: we will be well-prepared for such students and will make sure they are confident in using the English language in preparation for secondary school and, more importantly, life in the UK.

As well as focusing on English, our school will teach Mathematics, History, Geography, Sciences, ICT, Art, Drama, and Physical Education.

We feel this is a curriculum which responds to the needs of children in Enfield. Our teachers will be encouraged to plan lessons which integrate learning so children are using knowledge they have gained in, for instance, Mathematics and applying it to another subject like Geography. This system of ‘thematic learning’ means teachers are not tied down to discrete subjects and so can respond to the interest of the class or an individual more easily. It also means our staff will be able to plan lessons which in some way promote the school’s core aim of developing children’s reading and writing skills.

Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Our free school will also operate a school day which is two hours longer than state schools. This allows time to be devoted to basic skills each morning whilst opening up the range of subjects students study and get exposure to. During our school days, students will explore music and the arts, a remarkable variety of enrichment activities, as well as a range of programs in social and emotional learning. All these activities contribute to helping children receive a truly well-rounded education and improve the overall school learning climate.The Expanded Learning Time (ELT) initiative has achieved remarkable results in the USA where ELT schools have seen test scores increase by 44% in maths, 19% in science, and 39% in English in just one year. At the same time, because the school day isn’t so rushed, ELT schools are having fewer disciplinary problems and seeing fewer special education referrals.

Our Curriculum

Beyond the Classroom

A wide range of extracurricular activities is essential for broadening children’s horizons and skills.

We will offer a menu of afterschool and lunchtime activities to our children – from sport to music, from dance to drama – and encourage children to take part in a variety of activities.

We will also make extensive use of visits out of school and invite a range of people to share their skills and ideas with pupils, increasing children’s overall awareness of the possibilities their life can have.


Doomsday Book

After the Norman Conquest, both Enfield and Edmonton were mentioned in the Domesday Book. Back then, Enfield had 400 inhabitants and Edmonton had 300. Enfield is also described as having a “parc”. This parc—a heavily forested area for hunting—was key to Enfield’s existence in the Middle Ages. Wealthy Londoners came to Enfield first to hunt, and then to build houses in the green, wooded surroundings. In 1303, Edward I of England granted Enfield a charter to hold a weekly market, which has continued up to this day.

What’s in a name?

Enfield was recorded in the Domesday Book 1086 as Enefelde, Einefeld (1214), Enfeld (1293), and Enfild (1564). The name means ‘land where lambs are reared’, from the Old English words [‘Ene’ meaning ‘lamb’ and ‘feld’.] The feld would have been a reference to an area cleared of trees within woodland, later to become Enfield Chase.

Ancient Enfield

In Roman times, Enfield was connected to Londinium by Ermine Street, the great Roman road which stretched all the way up to York. Artefacts found in the early 1900s reveal that there were Roman settlements in the areas that are now Edmonton and Bush Hill Park.

The Enfield Beast

The creature on the shield of the Enfield coat of arms is known in heraldry as an ‘Enfield’ (or colloquially as the Enfield beast), and is used extensively as a logo representing Enfield, particularly by the borough council.

AllAbout Enfield

A Strategic Location

In 790 King Offa was recorded as giving the lands of Edmonton to St Albans Abbey. The area became strategically important as East Anglia was taken over by the Danes. In the 790s strongholds were built by men loyal to King Alfred the Great, in order to keep the Danes to the east of the River Lea.

Enfield has been the birthplace of many famous people who have gone on to find

international acclaim.The borough was the first home of political figures such as Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century prime

minister, as well as modern politicians Norman Tebbit

and Michael Portillo. Enfield has also given the artistic community figures such as the poet John Keats, the writer Charles Lamb,

and the art critic Walter Pater, as well as actors such as Boris Karloff, David Jason, and Ray Winstone.

Today, an impressive list of musicians and entertainers list Enfield as their birthplace, including Amy Winehouse, Adele, Alison Goldfrapp, Bruce

Forsythe, Paul McKenna, andMichelle Ryan.

John Keats

David Jason

Alison Goldfrapp

Benjamin Disraeli

Famous Residents


We have had a lot of support for our new school proposal from parents so far. However, we understand that we need to address any questions or doubts you may have. Here are a few of the more common questions we have been asked. Hopefully our answers will clear up some misconceptions and give you the Free Schools facts.

Q: What will your admissions policy be?A: Our school will not select students by any criteria. Our admissions policy will be open, clear, and all-inclusive. We will welcome children from any background and of any ability and make them part of our school family. The only case in which we would to select is if the school was oversubscribed: then, we would choose children living closest to the school. Once a child is accepted, we will then give that child’s siblings preference in the future so as to maintain the family, community feel of the school.

Q: What about disadvantaged children or children with special needs?A: We are an all-inclusive school for life and therefore every child is welcome. Any pupil with special learning needs will be given access to all aspects of the curriculum and encouraged to participate in the full range of

extra-curricular activities. The learning pathway of each SEN pupil will be monitored by our Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

Q: Will I have to pay for my child to attend? Will NLFS make profit from running the school?A: Our school will be free to all who attend. The school will be run on a strictly not-for-profit basis. The parents and teachers running the group are putting in the effort to get the best and most suitable education they can for children.

Q: If I fill in the form on the back page, am I committed to sending my child to the NLFS school? Will the local council then refuse to accept my child in a ‘normal’ school?A: All you are doing by completing the form overleaf (or online) is stating that you think a new school is a good idea and that you would seriously consider sending your child there. You can change your mind if you want to – although we hope that the more you find out about it, the more you will like it – and there will be no problems with the council.

Q: Will this deprive Enfield Council and other local schools of money?A:No. We do not anticipate that the population of the current primary schools will be affected by our school because of the tremendous growth in the numbers of children in the Borough. The funding for our school will come directly from the central Government, not from the LA. Their budget will not be affected at all.

Q: Does this mean other schools in Enfield aren’t very good?

A: No, absolutely not. The NLFS project fully supports the family of LA schools in the borough and admires the work they are doing. Our plan for a free school is a community driven initiative led by local people who want to add a different choice for the community and offer more primary places.

Q: What will your behavioural standards be?A: Pupils taking responsibility for their own behaviour in school will be very important. We will have very high expectations of behaviour, attendance and attitude to others and study. Pupils need to be clear that they cannot stop others from learning. Sanctions will be in strict accordance with our behaviour policy. Bullying will not be tolerated in any way.

If you’ve read our Q&A section but still want to find out more, you can contact us at: [email protected]

The following websites are also very useful for gathering information about the Free Schools Project:

www.education.gov.uk www.newschoolsnetwork.org

Find out more...

Q&A:Free School Information

PleaseShow Your

Support

We need your help in creating a school for the Enfield Community. To meet our team and find out more…

Attend our Community MeetingAddress: Chace Community School, EN1 3HQDate: 29th January, 2011Time: 12.30 - 14.00Contact: Fatih KahramanNumber: 07957 732 348

Your DetailsFull Name: ........................................................................................... Signature: .......................................................................................Address: ........................................................................................................................................................................................................Post Code:................. ...................................... Email:................................................. Telephone: ............................................................

Your Children’s DetailsName of First Child: ........................................................................................ Date of Birth: .......................................................................Name of Second Child: ................................................................................... Date of Birth: .......................................................................Name of Third Child: ....................................................................................Date of Birth: .....................................................................Name of Fourth Child:………………………………… ..............................................Date of Birth: .....................................................................

Sign Our PetitionOur Free School cannot succeed without strong support from the community. If you share our desire to see more educational choice in

Enfield, please show your support by filling in and returning the form below to 31 Arlington Road, Southgate, London, N14 5BB Alternatively, you can fill in the form online at www.northlondonfreeschools.co.uk

I support the campaign for a new free primary school in Waltham Forest. I accept that under the all-inclusive admissions policy my completing this form is not a guarantee of a place for my child/children and I also understand that this document is not an application for a place. As part of the Department for Education’s requirement to establish evidence of demand, my interest is limited to a pledge that I would consider the new free school as a preferred option for my child/children’s primary education.

Documents

North London Free School Newspaper [1]