Oxford Mail Article: Free school refusal fails to deter group

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Eylan Ezekiel

Quoted from the Oxford Mail:

"PLANS to open a new free school in Oxford have been rejected by the Government.

The steering group behind Oxford New School hoped to open a 360-place secondary school in south-east Oxford, taking in children in September 2013.

The aim was to offer a mix of academic subjects and 21st century vocational skills in a mixed comprehensive school.

But the Department for Education told the group their bid had been unsuccessful.

The DfE asked for more information on how the curriculum would be delivered, examples of the kinds of things children would be studying, what resources would be used and what activities would be involved.

Eylan Ezekiel, lead proposer for the school, said: “We are a little bit disappointed but not hugely surprised. We were originally aiming for 2014 so to some extent we ran for this year to see if we had the strength and support we needed.”

He said the key issues with the proposal were to do with lack of detail in certain areas.

He said: “They were happy with lots of parts of the proposal but we need to do more.

“We were complimented for our community links and the work we had done in the community and on our curriculum and educational plan.

“They were impressed with our clear vision and our ethos – we weren’t sure how they would go down, but they went down well so we were heartened.”

Steering group discussions and meetings with partners and supporters, including the Oxford Trust and Science Oxford, will be held to decide the next move.

Adrian Sell, chairman of the steering group, said: “We knew submitting a bid this year was going to be a huge challenge. We only formed our group six months ago and the work required to put a bid together is massive.

“We will be seeking further feedback and considering what to do next.

“Given the huge upsurge in interest we have seen, and the clear need for a new secondary school in Oxford in the coming years, it is likely that we will be back next year with a stronger bid.”

The proposers have identified four possible sites for the school, all within the city, but have not made the locations public.

The school has pledged to offer a curriculum featuring study for qualifications ranging from GCSEs, A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate, to apprenticeships and vocational qualifications."

 

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ONSchool bid for a 2013 opening not successful

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Eylan Ezekiel
PRESS RELEASE:
The steering group of Oxford New School heard today from the Department for Education that they have not been successful in their bid to open a new free school, in September 2013. This is clearly disappointing news for the many people who have supported the bid in all sorts of ways. Adrian Sell, Chair of the Steering Group, said "We knew that submitting a bid this year was going to be a huge challenge. We only formed our group six months ago and the work required to put a bid together is massive. We will be seeking further feedback on our bid and considering what to do next. Given the huge upsurge in interest that we have seen, and the clear need for a new secondary school in Oxford in the coming years, it is likely that we will be back next year with a stronger bid."

ONSchool's bid had generated support from hundreds of  local parents who want to see a community led secondary in Oxford City. The proposal also gained support from community groups and charities, such as The Oxford Trust / Science Oxford, who were attracted to the innovative ethos and the strong connections with the local community that was at the heart of the proposal.

The Department for Education also recognised our innovative and community centred approach. The DfE praised the ONSchool bid for our clear engagement plan with specific community groups, and our proposals for resources for the local area: including a Wellbeing Hub. We were also complimented on the clarity of our ethos and achieving a broad and balanced curriculum plan.

Oxford City has a projected shortfall in secondary school places of over 800 in the coming years, and schools that have struggled to match the international reputation the city has as a centre of excellence for education. ONSchool seeks to work in partnership with other local schools and the local community to bring about a school that reflects the diversity of the population as well as offering an education that will equip children with the skills, aptitudes and experiences they need to thrive in the 21st century.

Watch this space.

Note to Editors:
Contact Eylan Ezekiel - at eylan@onschool.org.uk
ONSchool is a Company Limited by Guarantee number 07949774.
The ONSchool steering group is an Oxford based community group comprising Adrian Sell (chair), Eylan Ezekiel, Angela Whitehead, Richard Hadfield, Kate Stillborn, William Florance, Leyla Okhai, and Leisle Ezekiel.

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Diversity – Our common wealth

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Eylan Ezekiel

ONSchool  - Why diversity and culture is something we will harness

A post from Leyla Okhai, of the ONSchool Steering Group.  Leyla is a Senior Equality Advisor at the University of Oxford with experience of running widening access projects with BME young people in inner-city areas. She joined the ONSchool team in January 2012, as she is passionate about diversity and equality in society and that it should be a key part of a school's agenda.  She is also a nominated Fellow of the RSA.

We are used to seeing headlines about the dreaming spires, elitism and Oxford. However, behind those headlines lies a very different picture. Oxford City, as a whole, is rich in cultural diversity, well beyond the University.  Oxford has a wealth of cultures to enliven school life, from the depth of history of this ancient university town, to the brightness and music of a number of growing communities.

According to information from Oxford City Council, in 2009, 19.6% of the population were estimated to be from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, compared to an England average of 12.5%.  The largest BME (Black and Ethnic Minority) groups represented are Indian, Pakistani and Black African.

This is what makes living in Oxford, as a resident, so exciting. The benefits of living in a diverse society are many, and include living alongside and meeting people from different walks of life enhances our own. An example of this is the wonderful Cowley Road Carnival (which is having a break this year), which brings together families, younger residents, older residents and students together to celebrate the community around the Cowley Road in East Oxford. As an annual event where local primary schools develop their own festival parade art work and walk side-by-side you can see diversity coming alive. This builds appreciation at an early and vital stage. This side of Oxford isn’t often communicated more widely outside the City, but once you see this, one realises how it makes a positive impact on Oxford as a City.

To build on this, ONSchool is ensuring that we work with community groups to ensure we are reaching out and engaging with them, to shape the school and the all important community agenda.

So where do these diverse populations live? For more information the City Council has some excellent maps of the City and its ethnic make-up, such as this clear infographic below:

 

 

Given our community focused ethos, we have a deep commitment to reaching out and drawing in the wider community.

That’s why ONSchool is making links with key community stakeholders like African Caribbean and African Kultural Heritage Initiative, Oxfordshire Chinese Community & Advice Centre, local mosques and families within the Donnington Bridge and Rose Hill area. By doing this we are ensuring that we meet the needs of local pupils and ensure that the wider community voices are being heard. In addition, we as  will work closely with the internationally renowned KidsCo, the Phoenix  Counselling Cooperative and Local Authority Youth Hubs to build trust and ongoing support to change generations of disengagement from education.

Over the years Oxfordshire County Council haven’t always been able to engage all groups in mainstream education and opportunities have been missed, largely to learn from other diverse cities and harness the wealth of cultures into school life. All too often, there is a tendency towards the dependence on the "... ghost of 1970s multiculturalism and the dreaded ‘saris, samosas and steel bands’ ideology".

There is some wonderful work going on in some schools in the city, especially in the primary schools - but all too often community cohesion is claimed to be a success just because a school has a diverse intake. Having kids of different backgrounds in the same class is not the same as community cohesion!

We have engaged with the many national examples of best practice and are determined to bring these lessons to Oxford, and share the successes of others doing great work in the community. ONSchool aims to provide a school for people from diverse communities, to bring people together and build on Oxford’s rich culture.

We believe that ONSchool offers a way to help ensure cohesion for future years to come, by working with young people to learn with peers and those across the generations in the community to share the best Oxford has to offer.

 

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Our letter to the Guardian

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Eylan Ezekiel

Following our mention in The Guardian last Saturday we have had lots of local people getting in touch to support us.

We were, mostly, just amazed that we had got into the papers - and were going on the theory that all publicity is good - right? We have also admitted that we could have done better in our use of language, and hopefully showed that we can see the funny side.

However, we also wanted to set the record straight. So, we have sent a letter to The Guardian - which we hope will clear a few important misconceptions up.

Dear Sir/Madam

 

While the text relating to ONSchool quoted by Simon Hoggart in Saturday's Guardian was not our proudest moment he fails to recognise that we are a group of unpaid volunteers juggling full time jobs, raising children while trying do something good. We do not have the luxury of editors and proof readers but are trying to create a new school which will improve the educational opportunities for local children. Government processes around the creation of Free Schools are considerable and complex. We have had to work hard to communicate with local parents, many of whom have understandable fears about what Free Schools mean and questions about why one is needed here. South and East Oxford have an astonishingly poor recent history, educationally. Oxford is the second worst city in the country in terms of primary school results and none of our three closest secondary schools have performed even satisfactorily in recent years. While there are signs of improvement there is also a looming demographic change which will see a need for over a thousand new secondary school places in the next few years, a demand that can only, due to government decisions, be met by new Free Schools. We have submitted an application, amassed on the back of hundreds of volunteering hours, that aims to create something that is led by the local community and reflects the diversity and talents of the local children. We will not be the principals of the school, they will be recruited and paid by the school governors, some of whom will  be drawn from our number. Go to our website www.ONSchool.org.uk and read about our plans for establishing an innovative new school in Oxford, I'm sure you will find more mistakes but hopefully also a bit more about what we are trying to do.

 

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Simon Hoggart’s week: From the Guardian

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Eylan Ezekiel

Today, we got a mention in the Guardian. Their political sketch writer, Simon Hoggart had the following to say about ONSchool in his weekly column:

"An anonymous reader has sent a leaflet about a proposed new free school in Oxford, trendily entitled ONschool. It should open next year. 

It plans to show that "intergenerational understanding can develop and bridges in the community are sustained and built on social justice … children will develop esafety [sic] behaviours and work through ethical considerations in social networking and global citizenship and the digital divide." Would you send your child to a school whose principals could use language like that?"

 

OK - it was not the whole-hearted support we'd like (and will get!) but we come out of it ok, I think (?). It is also important to say that the anonymous reader was not anyone in our team!

To be honest, I think he makes a fair point, despite the fact that he has taken the quotes from our leaflet out of context and chopped it up out of all recognition.  We did use too much jargon in the leaflet and tried to say too much in too many words. We will try for a 'Plain English Crystal Mark'  time. Perhaps Simon would like to help,...

But, I also think that all schools (and the education sector) has gone over the edge with jargon- and that although we could have done better - we are in good company:

Allow me to selectively quote from Simon Hoggart's old school, the private (fee paying independent) Hymers  College:

"We seek to provide an environment in which all pupils may develop their abilities and personalities to the full. ...  The pursuit of excellence pervades all that is done, whether it is in academic, extra-curricular or non-teaching areas, or in matters of personal conduct and development.  ... we aim: To foster moral and spiritual development; To encourage involvement in worthwhile activities which will promote physical, cultural and aesthetic capabilities; and To encourage the development of responsible attitudes in relation to him or herself and others, and concern about the welfare of other people, both within the school and outside."

Who'd pay £9000 per year to send their kids to a school whose principal uses language like that?

 

 

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