Parents' school opens its doors

The 180 students are all in year seven

A state school which is owned and run by parents welcomed 180 students on Monday.

A group of 380 parents worked with Lambeth council for four years to create the Elmgreen School in Lambeth, south London.

Parents hold the majority on the governing body and will therefore have more say and be able to meet frequently with teachers.

The group, Parents Promoters Foundation (PPF), also legally owns the premises.

The school with a mixed ability intake hopes to enrol 900 to 1,100 students in the next seven years.

Parents' involvement

Lack of secondary schools in the borough led parents to come together and launch a campaign in 2003 which resulted in the founding of the new school.

Lambeth Council is responsible for setting the admissions policy, employing staff and funding while the PPF will have more say in the day-to-day running.

The governing body has 20 members, 12 of whom are parents or carers while the rest are appointed by the council.

The school will set aside a week for parents to speak to teachers about their concerns, instead of the PTA evening that is observed in regular schools.

The school is owned by the parents' group

The school, which is currently located in Gypsy Road, West Norwood, will move to a bigger and permanent facility in Elmcourt Road in 2009 which is being built at a cost of £25m.

The school is funded as part of the council's £220m Building Schools for the Future Programme.

Parent Nat Ryles said: "The more parents you have involved in something like this the better it is I think for everyone, for teachers, for the head, for kids and for parents."

Sally Prentice, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "I'm thrilled that Lambeth is the first council in the country to have a parent-promoter school.

"The research shows that when parents are actively involved in their children's education, the children do well at school."

Headteacher Asma Mansuri said: "Lots of them (parents) have been very involved in the school and so it is... bringing their children to a school where they have been part of its development."

It is the first new secondary school to be opened in the borough in the past 40 years.