BREAKING NEWS: Council beats church in race to run new school (From Surrey Comet)

Council beats church in race to run new north Kingston secondary school

11:07am Wednesday 5th January 2011 in News By Martin George

A consortium led by Kingston Council has defeated a Church of England bid to run the proposed new secondary school in north Kingston.

The Kingston Educational Trust (KET), which also includes Kingston College and Kingston University, was named the winner by the independent Office of the School Adjudicator yesterday.

The competition to run the school, which is due to open on the site of the North Kingston Centre in September 2015, sparked fierce debate between Christians and atheists.

The report praised both bids, but said: “We concluded the KET's proposals are stronger particularly with regard to the potential impact on standards, the full exploitation of the school's specialisms and the enhancement of the range of options available for parents in the area.”

The council has yet to submit a planning application for the eight form of entry school, and the Government has yet to confirm whether it will provide funding.

David Campanale of the Kingston Church School Appeal said: “I am confident the bid proposed by the Kingston Education Trust will deliver a good education for the children of north Kingston.

“However, our borough remains the only one in south London without the choice of a Church of England secondary school available to parents. This was a missed opportunity.”