Wednesday 18 January 2012


MORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Thank you to all of our fantastic supporters for providing their continuing helpful feedback. Many of you have raised excellent questions, and we have reproduced these below.

The Benefits Of A Sevenoaks Grammar School

Q: How would children from Sevenoaks and the surrounding area benefit from a Sevenoaks Grammar School?

A: The impact on Sevenoaks area children from travelling long distances to grammar schools has been very noticeable in comparison to when they attended local primary schools. There are many Sevenoaks grammar children who must get up very early in the morning, and who then struggle through the day. Many miss out on after-school activities due to the lack of available transport; many battle with tiredness when studying at home in the evening. Furthermore, for three months every year, they must leave home and travel to school in the dark, which has obvious dangers.

A Sevenoaks Grammar School would remove these problems from local children. Furthermore, our children would feel part of their own community through their school, and would have greater opportunities to continue with, and develop new, friendships locally, and spend more time with their families.

Further details on the long distances travelled by Sevenoaks area children to schools in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells can be found here:-


Social Inclusion

Q: Will academic selection in the proposed grammar school in Sevenoaks result in social exclusion?

A: Our ambition is to create a grammar school in Sevenoaks that is socially inclusive, as this will provide the best possible education for the young people of the town.

From September 2012, KCC will no longer fund school bus and train journeys from Sevenoaks to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells grammar schools*. A child who already receives funding will continue to receive this funding, but any new students will not. There are many varied bus and train journeys available to the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells grammar schools, and an unsubsidised season ticket costs between £490 and £1800 annually per child**. For a family with three children, from September, travel costs will therefore amount to £1470 - £5400 per year.

These travel costs are socially divisive as they put Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells grammar schools beyond the financial reach of some Sevenoaks families. A grammar school in Sevenoaks would therefore eliminate these costs and be more socially inclusive as the school would not be beyond the reach of any Sevenoaks family. This would hopefully improve social mobility in the town over the longer term.

Furthermore, the money saved on journeys to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells would be available for better use, such as being spent on schools. The smaller number of journeys would also reduce rush hour congestion in Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

Children in other parts of Kent would also benefit from a grammar school in Sevenoaks in reduced travel times and travel costs. Fewer Sevenoaks children would take places at Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells grammar schools, meaning that more Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells children would be awarded places there. This would mean less travelling and travel costs for these children as well, and this would hopefully improve social inclusion in those towns.


Buckinghamshire currently faces the same problem, as the article below explains:-

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/localnews/beaconsfield/9541819.School_bus_fees__may_deter_poorer_pupils_from_grammars_/


*Many Sevenoaks area children travel to schools in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, and by far the greatest number are grammar school children. In relation to the 328 Sevenoaks area children who were offered places at secondary schools in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells for 2011/12, 204 (62%) were offered grammar school places in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells; 54 (17%) were offered non-selective school places in Tonbridge; 70 (21%) were offered Christian faith school places in Tunbridge Wells.

**A bus pass to Tonbridge costs £490 per year. An annual rail season ticket from Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells costs £872. The special school bus from Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells costs £1800 per year. 

Our Supporters

Q: Who is supporting your campaign for a Sevenoaks Grammar School?

A: We are an unfunded, grassroots campaign that was established by a group of Sevenoaks area parents in December. All of our time is given for free. We now have over 2,300 fantastic supporters, and their names can be found here (with the newest supporters at the top). Please wait 20 seconds for this link to load on your PC:-

http://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgEpetitionSignatureList.aspx?PageNo=1&ShowAll=1&Id=161&Type=0&RPID=3848862

Our supporters are mostly parents from the Sevenoaks area, together with some grandparents and also a number of local residents who believe that a grammar school is the right thing for the town.

 
Your Help

Q: I support your campaign and would like to help. How can I do this?

A: We have been overwhelmed by offers of help, and we would like to thank every single person who has done this. We please ask you to help us by raising local awareness of our campaign in the following ways:-

- By passing our website address on to your friends, family and contacts, and by posting it on to social forum websites;

- By frequently checking our website for the latest news – we will be posting regular news updates;

- By discussing the Sevenoaks Grammar School plan with your friends, family, contacts and other parents and encourage them to sign our e-Petition if they support our campaign; and

- By emailing your local MP (Michael Fallon is the MP for Sevenoaks), your local KCC councillor and your local District Councillor to express your support for a Sevenoaks Grammar School, and to ask for their support by signing our e-Petition. You can find your local MP and local councillors by using the following websites:-




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