The Big Move

Ashmount School, which is currently at the junction of Ashmount Road N19 and Hornsey Lane, is the subject of a council proposal to move it to Crouch Hill. Moving to Crouch Hill would involve replacing the present, partly derelict, buildings there with a new building. This would house the School, a new Community Centre, and the other services currently provided on this site, such as the Bowlers Nursery. It will occupy no more space than the current buildings. (Some will remember the old Crouch Hill Community Centre that used to be there and is now closed). The new school would be an "extended" school, and an "eco School" It would be built in collaboration with the other users of the site-Bowlers Nursery, the Cape Youth Project, and Islington Green Space. A large part of the cost would be raised by selling the current Ashmount School site for housing. However final approval of such a scheme would rest not with Islington Council but with the Greater London Authority, and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. We could use this blog to help with the public consultation processes carried out by the Council and generally keep everyone with an interest in the project informed. It might be a forum for discussion, if people want to use it for that. It is not an official site. (I am acting in a acting in a personal capacity.)

The first Post

I am Chair of Governors at Ashmount School in North London. And, I believe, we are about to do something really exciting . Ashmount School is a state primary school on Ashmount Road, London N19. It is (just) inside the London Borough of Islington which is the education authority for the school. Schools in England have, at least on paper, a high degree of autonomy. Each school has a Governing Body, consisting of Governors, who are unpaid volunteers. Some Governors are elected by staff at the school, some are elected by the parents, others are appointed by the LEA; in this case Islington Council, and some are coopted. The Governing Body appoints the Headteacher who runs the school on a day to day basis. The Head is ultimately accountable to the Governing Body (but NOT managed by it), and is a member of the Governing Body. The Ashmount Governing Body, which at present meets once a term (three times a year), is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the school. The school is currently on the verge of a really interesting stage in its life. See my next post!