Let’s plan for better education

Yes, sickened by the fact that this is necessary, but not at all surprised as, in 2007, I warned East Sussex County Council (Education) of the classroom problem and other major faults in their planning.

At that time, after seeing the public display of their detailed plans, I immediately wrote (as a retired Primary School Deputy Head) to Lewes with vital criticisms of three serious safety faults in their intended ground-level layout, and objecting to their intention to place extra classrooms up on a second storey. (For very many years, I had never known … nor since … a primary school being built with classrooms upstairs, for obvious safety reasons!)

I never received even an acknowledgement of my letter, but those three major criticisms were corrected before the building stage, thank goodness!

Obviously that second storey had to be built, as the whole site was far too small !!

I had also pointed out that we already had a good Infants School at Tilling Green, and a potentially excellent Primary School at Freda Gardham in New Road, which was already large enough in buildings & grounds to cope with an expanding need.

Of course, those leaders of E.S.C.C. had seen that by squeezing a new building for all primary ages onto that otherwise unusable small piece of old allotments (which land would cost them nothing!), they could then close both Tilling Green and Freda Gardham, and with Lower School site already derelict for many years, they would then make a fantastic financial gain for the county by selling those three very good pieces of land (our Rye land, that is), even after paying out £7 million for an unsuitable building !

So – What now ? I say empty the Freda Gardham buildings, clear & clean everywhere, get several experienced primary school teachers (I’ll volunteer ! yes, even at 84 !) to explore, study, & agree on a plan for the work necessary for the whole site to be made available and re-opened, with all our children and other necessary items !! to be installed and welcomed !!

Then offer that 2008 building to our College – it’s on the end of their existing site anyway, and particularly with the Studio School success & growth, it’s reckoned they need more accommodation.

Alan Bolden

Jarretts Close, Rye.