16/06/11…..Thame school head’s vision for single-site school

THE Head teacher of Lord Williams’s Comprehensive School in Thame, currently on a split site across the town, has outlined his vision for a single site development.

In a statement today, David Wybron said: “When Site F was chosen as the designated site for the allocation of houses in the Core Strategy last November, the school welcomed the possibilities highlighted in the consultation, to take advantage of land released on Site F for the potential relocation of our Lower School, therefore enabling the school to be on one site.

“In the previous year we had been working with county officers on a site development plan so that
we would be ready to take advantage of ?Building Schools for The Future? money when it arrived in
Oxfordshire. Our task then, prompted by the government, was to think and to plan creatively for what we wanted for our school in the future. Governors and senior leaders visited other big schools and we looked at how they worked. We were, and are convinced, that a single site school is the best option for teaching and learning in Thame. Oxfordshire County Council is also backing the proposal. Advantages include:

* more learning and pastoral time in the day, including the possibility of daily contact with a tutor

* teachers not having to commute in our 20 minute breaks between lessons
* opportunities for older and younger students to work together

?When ?Building Schools for the Future? money was
withdrawn it seemed that we would need to wait a long time for anything to happen. We now have more reason to be optimistic but there are still significant issues to resolve. In order for the project to go ahead, our Towersey Road site would need to be sold. The capital receipt from the sale would be needed to build the Lower School at Oxford Road. The site has community facilities.?

Ann Mayou, Chair of Governors commented: ?The allocation of houses in the Core Strategy Plan in
November and the selection of Site F would provide an opportunity for the school to develop as a single
site, with all the overwhelming educational advantages that being on one site brings.?

The statement concluded: “Recent announcements from the Inspector looking at the Core Strategy and amended housing figures suggest that more housing may be needed in Thame. As planning and discussion of strategy becomes ever more complicated it is now appropriate for the wishes of the school community to be clearly voiced in terms of a vision of learning for Lord Williams?s and the community it serves.”