What do you think about South Oxhey families' secondary education options?
 Ever since the closure of the Sir James Altham secondary school in the 1980s, South Oxhey's secondary school children have had no choice but to travel out of the area.
Many local families are very happy with the schools that their children are attending - we would not want any family to lose the option of attending schools outside the area. In fact, we know that even if there were a South Oxhey secondary school, some parents would choose a school out of the area, for a variety of perfectly valid reasons. The fact remains though, that for the past 25 years, there is one option that every local family has been systematically denied by the Conservative County Council: namely the option of sending their children to a local school. They have been denied the option of walking to school; of going to a school with friends all living in the same area; of getting back from school early enough in the afternoon to take part in family and community activities; and so on. We cannot think of any other built-up area of South West Hertfordshire where every single family has been denied that possibility. We would like to know what you think. Do you want the choice of sending your children to a local school? If your children have grown up, looking back, would you have wanted that choice? We want to get your opinions on this. Recently there have been claims, made in connection with South Oxhey regeneration, that local residents have no desire for a secondary school. We think that such comments are made without much evidence to back them up, often by politicians whose allegiance is not to this area. The form on this page is a way for you, the residents of South Oxhey, to have your say. Please fill it in and submit it. We will collect all the responses and in due course we hope to establish the truth about what South Oxhey wants. School bus timetables to be axed
Conservative-controlled Herts County Council wants to axe the buses to St.Joan of Arc, St.Michael's school at Garston and also the E857 bus to Northwood. This will be devastating to many families in South Oxhey, Read more about this, and our campaign to stop Hertfordshire from implementing these unfair cuts.
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Cllr Paul Gordon
"As a community we are a strong and close knit. A secondary school in the Watford Rural area will provide a better quality of life for children and their parents. I will persist in challenging Hertfordshire County Council on this issue. Furthermore, Hertfordshire County Council’s dismal record on meeting South Oxhey parents first, second or third preference of primary and secondary school is of great concern to me too. If you agree, please use the comments form to let me know."
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The figures speak for themselves
Figures released by Hertfordshire County Council show that children in the Watford Rural area, which is South Oxhey plus Carpenders Park and Oxhey Hall, are three times less likely to be offered any of their choices of secondary school than the average Hertfordshire child. It's logical, really: if none of the secondary schools are near their homes, then of course they are at the back of the queue for places at the schools they apply to.
But surely the council won't build a new school?
The good news is that Hertfordshire County Council recognises the need for a new school in SW Herts and will fund the building of one. However, the Conservative-controlled Herts County Council has left Three Rivers DIstrict Council to draw up the short list of possible locations. Liberal Democrat-controlled Three Rivers has in its turn made it clear that it does not want any location in South Oxhey on the short list.
South Oxhey's case
In Novermber last year, Three Rivers published its short list of possible sites: every one of them in Croxley Green and Rickmansworth. We acknowledge that those areas do, like us, suffer from a shortage of school places. But we would submit that a shortage is a different matter to a total absence. Rickmansworth School, Clement Danes and St. Joan of Arc all lie within or near that area.
It seems that Three Rivers is determined that South Oxhey will not have the new school. But we think the residents of South Oxhey have not yet given their opinion on the matter - that's why we are conducting our own survey. The decision on the school's location is not yet final; so please use the opportunity on this website to say what you think.
It seems that Three Rivers is determined that South Oxhey will not have the new school. But we think the residents of South Oxhey have not yet given their opinion on the matter - that's why we are conducting our own survey. The decision on the school's location is not yet final; so please use the opportunity on this website to say what you think.
