South West Hertfordshire is very fortunate to have good schools, and parents often move into the local area so that their children have the possibility to send their children to the schools here. Although schools are good where they exist, there's an ongoing issue with school capacity, particularly for Secondary school places. What do you think about the local schools? Any comments? If you want to contact the Residents' Association about local education matters get in touch with us at education@chorleywoodresidents.co.uk |
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Education
Three Rivers Museum
Watford Observer has published an article about a petition set up to address the need for more space at Three Rivers Museum since existing space is claimed to be at "bursting" point.
The Rickmansworth Town Team is lobbying Three Rivers District Council to allow them to use all of the ground floor at Basing House, which is located between the library and Watersmeet in Rickmansworth High Street. Currently, the museum only uses half of the ground floor space in the High Street venue.
The petition states: "In order for the museum to provide an on-going, up-to-date and relevant service to the community, the museum needs more space urgently. Many of the rooms in Basing House are currently unoccupied and would make an ideal space for growth for the museum".
If you would like to sign the petition, or just learn more about it, see the Watford Observer article |
Chorleywood & Rickmansworth WEA Program 2013/14
 Dates for your diary for September 2013 and on to Spring 2014 Summary of Courses for 2013/14
Summary of Special Study Days for 2013/14
The WEA programme is now available on request. Contact Rosemary Warburg – 01923 282848 or email rosemary.warburg@btinternet.com Courses for 2013/14 TUESDAY MORNINGS - Autumn 2013 Tutor: Virginia Brisco The Romans ‘came, saw and conquered’ and we’ve got the ruins to prove it. But what was life really like during those 400 years? What food did people eat, what illnesses did they get? What gods did they worship? What evidence did they leave? The Romans departed as suddenly as they arrived and left Britain in the ‘Dark Ages’ for 500 years – archaeologists can tell us what was really going on as ‘un-Roman Britain’ took on the cultures of visiting Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. 10 weekly-meetings from 24 September 2013 Venue: The Junction, Rickmansworth Road, Chorleywood WD3 5SG. Enquiries to 01923 283985 WEDNESDAY MORNINGS - Autumn 2013 Tutor: Madeline Edmead The 19th Century was one of the most dynamic periods in English history. As society grew richer, art and architecture flourished. In this course we will make the connection between the buildings and other works of art produced in that age and the society which they served. 10.00 am to 12 noon.. 20 weekly-meetings from 25 September 2013. Venue: The Baptist Church Hall, Latimer Road, Chenies, WD3 6ED Enquiries to 01923 282848 THURSDAY MORNINGS – Autumn 2013 Tutor: Lena Bassil-Morozow All the books in this course are united by a single theme: their protagonists are exceptional or unusual people who find themselves at odds with the society in which they live and push the conventions by ‘being themselves’. It covers a range of both widely acclaimed and lesser known books including Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, George Eliot’s ‘The Mill on the Floss’, Emile Zola’s ‘The Masterpiece’, Gustave Flaubert’s ‘Madame Bovary’, Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘The Young Doctor’s Notebook’ and Monica Ali’s ‘Brick Lane’. 10.15 am to 12.15 pm. 20 weekly-meetings from 26 September 2013. Venue: St John Fisher Catholic Church, Shire Lane, Chorleywood WD3 5NH. For enquiries, reading lists and recommended anthologies please call 01923 282848 Special Study Days Saturday, 19th October, 2013. RITUALS, ROMANS and RUFFIANS - Unearthing the secrets of the past Tutor: Virginia Brisco We shall look at three different aspects of archaeology: at the Stonehenge landscape, such as Silbury Hill, Durrington Walls, Avebury etc to see how archaeologists use the evidence to construct lifestyles and beliefs for people who lived 5,000 years ago. The Romans ‘came, saw and conquered’ Britain – or did they? Yes, they were an ‘invading army’ yet were welcomed in by people living in south east Britain. What impact did they have and why did Britons revert to their old lifestyles once the Roman legions left? The third area of study concentrates on squalor and neglect from the medieval to Victorian periods. There are copious records of laws passed, taxes collected, the church’s concern for the moral and education of the poor – but, what was life really like for the underclass? Modern archaeology can provide some of the answers. 10.30 am to 3.00 pm. One day event Venue: The Junction, Rickmansworth Road, Chorleywood WD3 5SG. Enquiries to 01923 283985 What is the WEA? The WEA was founded in 1903 to give new opportunities for working people to pursue learning. Today, their courses are open to all adults; young, old, at home, unemployed, working or retired. They provide friendly, informal and enjoyable courses, with experienced tutors - all in local venues. Whatever your past educational experience, WEA hopes it will have something to offer you and help develop new skills, extend your learning or just enjoy a new interest. Everybody is welcome at a Chorleywood and Rickmansworth WEA class. |
The Reach Free School - application deadline and info sessions
Work continues apace with preparations for the The Reach Free School which will be opening in September 2013. The project team have organised some information sessions in Chorleywood to update parents on our progress and give them an opportunity to ask any questions about the school. The details of the events are as follows:
For parents with children in Year 6, applications can still be made until 15th February, with this representing an extra choice of top of their Hertfordshire County Council application. It therefore gives parents even more choice in terms of schools - on 1st March when school offers are made, those who have applied to us will get both an Hertfordshire County Council offer, and potentially an offer from The Reach Free School, and it would then be down to them to choose which one to accept. |
The new Free School - Statutory Consultation
Carolyn Venn, the Chair of Governors of the The Reach Free School has contacted Maria Larkin, requesting our views on the proposal for the new local school. We have attached the consultation documents. The consultation can be completed online at www.thereachfreeschool.co.uk We would encourage all residents to read the attached consultation documents, and make a response if you have any views on the provision of the proposed new school in the WD3 area. The consultation is open until 3rd December 2012 at 5pm. If you have any queries about this please contact the Residents' Association at education@chorleywoodresidents.co.uk |
The Reach Free School - Open Evenings
Since the announcement on 13th July that The Reach Free School will open in September 2013, there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes as the Reach Team begin the journey to opening in 12 months time. The school’s branding and colour scheme has been finalised, we are beginning to look into uniform designs, the planned curriculum is taking shape. Progress is being made, and updates will be posted at the Reach Learning website when they're available. Two open evenings in October have been booked where residents can find out more about the proposed school. Monday 8th or Tuesday 16th October 2012 Watersmeet Theatre High Street Rickmansworth WD3 1EH Tea and coffee served from 7.00pm Principal Designate’s presentation at 7.30pm |
Hot off the Press! - New Free School for Three Rivers
We are absolutely delighted to announce The Reach Free School has been approved to open in September 2013. This is fabulous news for children in the Rickmansworth, Mill End and Maple Cross area where there is a severe shortage of secondary school places. The Reach Free School will be a much needed non-selective community school providing outstanding education tailored to each individual student by outstanding teachers. There is a huge amount to do before our opening in September 2013. The most important task is to secure a site and we hope to receive support from Three Rivers District Council to achieve this as quickly as possible. Our thanks go
to all members of the local community who have supported our application – we
could not have got this far without you. Please visit our website to find out more www.reachlearning.co.uk/
Carolyn Venn Chair of Governors The Reach Free School |
Herts County consult on Shepherds Lane school
 They propose to enlarge the school premises to support an increase in the size of this school by 1 form of entry (30 places). This means the school will then have the capacity to admit 60 reception aged children each year from September 2013. The school does not currently have enough classrooms to accommodate the extra children. It is therefore proposed to provide additional accommodation and associated external play space to support the increased number of children. For further details, and to respond to the consultation, go to https://consult.hertsdirect.org/shepherdprimary/ Or you can call HertsDirect on 0300 123 4040 The consultation is open until 24th July 2012. |
Reach Learning invited to DfE interview
The Department for Education (DfE) has requested Reach Learning - the organisation behind establishing a new Secondary school in the WD3 area - to an interview on 25 May 2012 to talk about its Free School application. If reach are successful at this interview, they will be invited to start the process in September 2012 of preparing the school to open in September 2013. I will be important for Reach to be able to demonstrate to the DfE that it has recevied sufficient interest from parents to fill the school. Please encourage other local parents to register their interest in the school. For more information about or to register your interest n behalf of your child with the Reach Learning Free School (e.g. its founders, curriculum, etc.), please look at www.reachlearning.co.uk or contact Reach Learning via admin@reachlearning.co.uk or 07552 358200. For year 5 children, this school would be an extra choice in addition to the 4 made through Hertfordshire County Council. You can read more about the WD3 SAG (WD3 School Action Group) on their blog at wd3school.wordpress.com |
New Secondary School Proposal - Deadline 5th March!
Three Rivers District Council is inviting local residents to feed back their views on how land will be used in the district in future. This includes locals’ views on which of the recommended secondary school sites should be used to build a new school. Replies are required by 5 March 2012 to the Three Rivers District Council consultation on possible secondary school sites.
The three proposed secondary school sites are: a) Mill End/Maple Cross: Land east of A405 (North Orbital)/north of A412. b) Mill End/Maple Cross: Froghall Farm and adjoining land. c) Croxley Green: Land north–east of Baldwins Lane.
Go to http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/SiteAllocationsDevelopmentPlanDocument and click on the ‘Site Allocations DPD Consultation’ and answer the questions raised by the ‘Education Sites’ Section on of the document in the Response Form, which can be emailed to TRDC. |
Shortage of Secondary School Places from 2014 onwards
Hertfordshire County Council is running a consultation on the proposed admissions arrangements for the school year 2013/14 and is seeking responses from all parent/carers, schools and community groups. The main change proposed is to allow an increase in
the number of preferences from three to four, i.e. parents will be able to
apply to four schools, as opposed to three at the moment. Views are also being sought on:
The consultation period runs until 29 February 2012. Please visit www.hertsdirect.org/admissions2013 for more information and to respond online or call Mini Harish on 01992 555840 for a copy of the consultation document.
Secondary School Places Although many Christ Church parents live in Chorleywood, all parents who live locally need to be aware that in the not too distant future, there will be a real lack of secondary school places in this area of South West Hertfordshire. Herts County Council are predicting numbers of -97 for current Y4 in 2014 and increasing to -230 by 2020. This will impact upon all children whether living in Chorleywood, Rickmansworth or further afield. Parents should be aware that: 1 - There is and will be a significant shortfall in secondary school places and so provision is needed for a new school and improved admission procedures. 2 - It is important for all parents to submit their views regarding the County Consultation re admissions (see above) and respond by 29th February. 3 - Consultation about the
new school sites is due to be considered (not opening before Sept 2016). Three Rivers District Council website
will have details from 23rd January and will be open for response until 5th March. |
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