Hobbayne Public Meeting goes smoothly
I spent one evening last week at a public meeting to discuss the possible expansion of Hobbayne Primary School. The need for places in the Ealing and Hanwell area is still growing so we’ve been talking to a number of schools about expansion.
The current round of public meetings have had a much different atmosphere compared to the early meetings I attended at North Ealing and Little Ealing. These meetings were quite hostile with worried parents often refuting the need for additional places or demanding that other schools should be considered for expansion. Parents in the latest round of consultations seem to accept the need for places and are aware that many schools have already been asked to expand. There are still concerns from residents about the disruption and how the expansion will impact on their children’s education, but the meetings are much less controversial.
Catchment area for Hobbayne Primary (in green)
At the Hobbayne meeting the main concern seemed to be from Framfield Road residents – particularly over issues surrounding traffic, parking and noise from the construction works.
One issue that I think we will need to address is that of catchment areas – the residents on the north side of Framfield are outside catchment despite it being only a few yards from the entrance to the school. Changing catchment areas is really opening the proverbial can of worms, but this is one anomaly that needs resolving.
Tags: Framfield Road, Hobbayne Primary School, Primary School Places
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