Fury as Canvey pupils face long trek to school (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Fury as Canvey pupils face long trek to school
6:00pm Monday 8th March 2010 in
FURIOUS parents whose children did not get their first choice Canvey secondary school are blaming the county council for closing down a school.
Families from the east of the island would have happily sent their youngsters to Furtherwick Park School, but it is shutting down as part of the county council’s reorganisation of education on Canvey.
So they applied instead for places at the next closest secondary, Castle View, but were turned down. Now the only option is Cornelius Vermuyden, which is at the other end of the island.
Castle Point MP Bob Spink, who is backing the parents, said: “When the county council closed one of our schools, it told Canvey parents they would have a choice of the remaining two schools. Canvey has yet again been betrayed by the council.”
The county council has confirmed eight pupils have not been offered their first choice of Castle View and will go to Cornelius Vermuyden.
Lisa Hope, 44, of Marine Parade, is angry after her son was not offered a place. She said: “All his friends are going to Castle View and he’s going to have to trek to the other end of the island. This has left him distraught.”
The council decided to close Furtherwick Park because of declining admission rates.
Castle View has been gradually raising its intake to compensate before it moves into a £28million building in Furtherwick Road in 2012.
Dr Spink has called for the authority to meet with parents to resolve the situation.
Stephen Castle, the council’s cabinet member for education, said: “I am pleased that all secondary students from Canvey have been guaranteed a placement at one of the Canvey schools, either Castle View School or Cornelius Vermuyden School.
“Castle View is a more popular school, and as a result is at risk of oversubscription.”
Comments(17)
upset
says...
6:16pm Mon 8 Mar 10
Isaac Hunt
says...
6:32pm Mon 8 Mar 10
evilc
says...
6:47pm Mon 8 Mar 10
lazy little barstools.
AND Bob Sponk what a nob!!
Valentino
says...
7:03pm Mon 8 Mar 10
The 21, 22 and 27 services all start/stop at somewhere down the Point and all go down Link Road, where Cornelius's nearest bus-stop is located.
leighbloke
says...
7:08pm Mon 8 Mar 10
On a more serious note I wonder what parents would make of this story who live in rural communities and their children travel every day, sometimes for well over an hour to get to school and back again. Often these children rely totally on public transport.
As most families have cars can't they take their children or even better get them to walk or cycle.
Ian P
says...
7:39am Tue 9 Mar 10
shortybells
says...
9:59am Tue 9 Mar 10
Repeat a lie long enough and the most gullible will come to believe it.
How many houses have been built in Castle Point over the last two years?
Less than a hundred and those were on the mainland.
BD
says...
11:10am Tue 9 Mar 10
Shutting furtherwick will come back to haunt future councils in about ten years time - theres been a baby boom for the last 2-3 years and its still going on, oh and guess what, all the kids in the new village and the ones being born will need to be schooled... But then why should the current council worry they wont be around to see it...
go get em
says...
12:26pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Still no hope of that . . . .
perini
says...
1:23pm Tue 9 Mar 10
go get em wrote:Belfairs seems to be a grammar school now - wonder when that changed?
Just hope they don't pass the 11+ on Canvey as they will have to travel to Westcliff / Southend to go to School. Still no hope of that . . . .
shortybells
says...
2:32pm Tue 9 Mar 10
One resident, who lives opposite Canvey Supply, believes the plan is an overdevelopment of the four-acre site.
The woman, who did not want to be named, added: “There will be traffic from the new houses all the time.”
The owner says it is too early to say it will be relocated, and some dozy hysterical woman thinks it's going to be over developed.
As I said earlier repeat a lie and the gullible fall for it everytime.
ahhh
says...
2:58pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Angel08
says...
4:09pm Tue 9 Mar 10
I understand where the parents are coming from, because I would NOT want my son to travel the other side of the Island for school either.
I live at the point and my school travels by bike to school, but lately I have been taken him cos the weather. Like any other parent, we dont want our children sitting in school all day soaking wet. I mean you as adults would not sit in work wet all day.
When they decided to close Furtherwick, I think the council should had sent letters to all residents on the island to find out our opinions. But what the council didnt do was find out how many children will leaving year 6 to go year 7 in 2010 and then see if it was liable to close Furtherwick or not.
For those parents whose children didnt get in castle view then Im sorry to hear that.
VillagerNo6
says...
5:03pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Walked 1 1/2 miles to King John in all weathers when I were a lad clad in a green canvas parka (orange lining!) with a fur trimmed hood as did hundreds of others. It's not rocket science.
richomack360
says...
4:42pm Wed 10 Mar 10
I think mums are more annoyed their 4x4's will have to be used more meaning more petrol !!!
richomack360
says...
4:45pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Please think about real issues, instead of your own portfolio / agenda.
A while ago you gave people lifts in your car when they were snowed in...why don't you use the same car to ferry the kids to school...
...or was it a blantant use of expoliting a situation for personal gain/media exposure ?
More Castle Point stories
- Bronze, silver and gold trees being planted in Castle Point to celebrate olympics
- Elderly had to pay twice for rubbish
- Stammer ruled my life – not anymore
- Firefighters tackle blaze outside Benfleet KFC
- Man cleared in child porn case on appeal
- Lorry overturned at busy road junction
- Council’s new homes plan will cost £250k
- My vow to get unfit drivers off our streets
- Not this way! There’s a bypass now for lorries
- Daughter backs memorial plans for WWII hero
MP Bob Spink is leading a parent protest after some pupils of Leigh Beck weren’t offered their first choice of secondary school
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
undertaker says...
6:12pm Mon 8 Mar 10