Category Archives: Schools

September 11, 2025 · 1:56 pm

Julian’s temporary school

Entrance to Goldfinch School

Julian’s school at Leigham Court Rd SW16 2RB is moving to a temporary site in the former  Goldfinch school in Cunliffe St SW16 6DS, Furzedown, just off Mitcham Lane, following a serious fire.

The fire took place on Friday night of the August  bank holiday weekend and was attended by 19 fire engines and 70 firefighters. For details see:
https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2025/august/fire-at-school-streatham/
and
https://love.lambeth.gov.uk/update-fire-at-julians-primary-school-streatham/

Julian’s staff team and teams from Lambeth council have worked tirelessly since the bank holiday to find a nearby school large enough to keep the 3-form-entry school together whilst their school building is repaired

Goldfinch, an academy primary school, closed in July 2025 due to falling numbers of pupils.. The site is returning to Wandsworth council but still has most of the facilities needed by a working school.

Bus stops on Mitcham Lane

Julian’s will run buses to take children from Leigham Court Road to the temporary school.. Alternative travel arrangements include the 333, 57 and 201 buses on Mitcham Lane. Goldfinch is not in a Wandsworth parking zone.

Julian’s is a foundation school, independent of its local council, and is working closely with Lambeth & Wandsworth councils to get the temporary site operational by Monday 22nd September. Parents should contact the school for further details.
https://www.juliansprimary.org.uk/

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April 28, 2025 · 2:59 pm

Permit parking in West Norwood town centre

The proposal

Lambeth council is consulting on a new controlled parking zone (CPZ) in West Norwood town centre. The proposed CPZ lies between Norwood Road, Auckland Hill, Thurlby Road and Knollys Road  (area outlined on the map) and is expected to be implemented by the end of 2025.

This informal stage consultation is asking for views and suggestions from local residents & organisations. It ends on Sunday 25th May.  For details of the proposed CPZ see here

Most parts of Lambeth are already in a CPZ. The West Norwood town centre CPZ is one of the last new parking zones in Lambeth. CPZs reduce commuter parking and remove abandoned & illegal vehicles from the road. Over time a CPZ encourages many people to use their cars less and make our air cleaner. Some London boroughs are already entirely within CPZs -for example Camden, Tower Hamlets. Kensington & Chelsea

Options to consider

A local CPZ needs to get the right balance. That is between reducing parking by commuters, taking up spaces in side streets all day to use the stations or buses for their onward journey, enabling short term parking by shoppers, workers in local organisations, visitors to homes, schools & care homes, and tradespeople carrying out work in homes.

Lambeth’s CPZs have variable operating or enforcement hours usually limited to Mondays to Fridays. These can be a two hour zone 10am to 12noon, as in many other Lambeth CPZs. This  is preferred by many local people over the longer hours of 10am to 4pm or 8.30am to 6.30pm.

Have your say

For residents and organisations inside the proposed West Norwood town centre CPZ please use the online survey. It has two “other boxes” to use for comments.  Alternatively please write to the email address:  CPZconsultation@lambeth.gov.uk saying its about the West Norwood town centre CPZ.

People not online can phone 020 7926 6799 for a paper copy of the survey & documents. You can also look at  paper copies of the documents in the  West Norwood Library SE27 9JU .

Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, the councillor leading on Clean Air, will take all the responses into account before deciding on the next steps.

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Filed under Environment, Health, Labour Councillors, Lambeth Council, Local Business, Parking, Planning, Schools, Shopping, Traffic, West Norwood

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May 24, 2024 · 8:19 pm

Changes to our primary schools

Fenstanton primary school

Lambeth council wants to hear from children,  parents and the wider community about important changes to its primary schools.

London’s birth rate is dropping significantly and boroughs like Lambeth now have too many school places.

Across Lambeth there are over 500 spare places in reception classes (children aged 4 and 5 ) in September 2024. That is the equivalent of 18 full reception classes of 30 children.  Schools are funded by government on the number of children attending the school. So there will have to be changes to Lambeth’s primary schools to stop the schools getting into debt.

West Norwood schools are in the ‘south east’ area which has 114 spare reception places. A proposed change to the ‘south east’ area is the closure of Fenstanton school  SW2 3PW in 2026.

Lambeth’s schools team is consulting children,  parents and the wider community with a closing date of on Friday the 14th June. For details see:

https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/consultations/have-your-say-primary-school-places

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November 23, 2022 · 1:28 pm

LTN west of Leigham Court Road

Artist drawing outside Julians School

Streatham Wells LTN proposed map Have your say on the plans to trial the streets between Leigham Court Road and Streatham High Road SW16 as a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in 2023. This LTN is to be called Streatham Wells LTN.

Through traffic will go around the area marked by Leigham Court Rd, Streatham High Rd and Streatham Common North. See map:[ pdf ]

To look at and comment on details of the proposed scheme please go to: https://beta.lambeth.gov.uk/consultations/streatham-wells-low-traffic-neighbourhood-0  The deadline for comments is 12 noon on Friday 23rd December.

The “Street Improvements” section includes plans to widen the pavement on Leigham Court Rd near Dunraven School and opposite the petrol station – removing parking from #153-213. A raised crossing is proposed for St Julians Farm Road opposite Julians school.

Reducing traffic in LTNs make the LTN area into a safer, healthier and more pleasant place for walking and cycling. Rat running traffic through the roads east of Leigham Court Road ( eg Knollys Road, Broxholm Road, Canterbury Grove, Leaf Grove ) may reduce too.

See our earlier post 14/11/2021

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Filed under Environment, Lambeth Council, Parking, Planning, Schools, Traffic, Transport, West Norwood

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September 13, 2021 · 6:10 pm

Starting secondary school in 2022

Children born between 1/9/2010 and 31/8/2011 must apply for a secondary school place in 2020  by Sunday 31st October 2021. See details and online application form for Lambeth schools here.

Many schools have an extra  “supplementary information form” that is sent direct to the school by a date before the 31st October.

The test day for schools using an admission test is on Saturday 13th November.

Deadline for primary school admissions is  15th January 2022

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January 9, 2021 · 3:20 pm

Primary school for 3 & 4 year olds

Starting reception class in school in September 2021? A birth date between 1/9/2016 and 31/8/2017?

The deadline for parents to choose their preferred primary school for their 3 or 4 year old is Friday 15th January. Online application forms and detailed information about Lambeth schools is here.

The applications must include copies of documents proving the parent’s and the child’s address and the child’s birth date. For families needing advice contact the Admissions team on 020 7926 9503 option 2 during office hours. To use a computer for online forms and for  printing, scanning and photocopying try your local library. Telephone 020 7926 0750 to book a 2 hour time slot first.  You will need a library membership card but if you haven’t got one just ask for a temporary one.

If you miss the deadline you can apply again in April.

For children with special needs and an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) contact the Admissions team 020 7926 9503

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October 6, 2020 · 8:44 pm

Virgo Fidelis school to close

The Roman Catholic secondary school for girls on Central Hill SE19 1RS is planning to close in August 2021.

Admissions were suspended for year 7 students in September 2020. Year 8 , 9 & 11  students are attending the Virgo Fidelis site but Year 10 students are attending St Marys in West Croydon CR9 2EE

Virgo Fidelis no longer has a 6th form and pupil rolls have been falling recently – with a  corresponding impact on school budgets. The Victorian buildings date back to 1848 and so are exepensive to repair.

Croydon council is consulting on the closure – to have a say  fill in the form linked below before the deadline of Oct 23rd.  

https://getinvolved.croydon.gov.uk/project/672

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August 30, 2020 · 7:15 pm

Safer Streets for Schools

Schools start to go back next Wednesday. And the council is developing a temporary scheme to help with social distancing on the journeys to and from school.

The road outside selected schools will be closed for 1 hour 30 minutes – twice each school day. These timed road closures will be at the start and the end of the school day: 7.45am to 9.15am and 2.15pm to 3.45pm during school term time.

Julians School

In Norwood the schools taking part in the scheme in September are:

  • Elm Wood SE27 9RR : Carnac St closed from Hamilton Rd to Clive Rd
  • Hitherfield SW16 2JQ: Hitherfield Rd closed from Mount Nod Rd to Leigham Vale.
  • Julian’s SE27 0JF : Wolfington Rd closed from Casewick Rd to Knights Hill St
  • Luke’s SE27 0DZ , Linton Grove closed between Basil Gardens and Elder Rd

More schools are expected to join the scheme in coming weeks.

To provide feedback and for more information see:
https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/streets-and-roads/school-streets

Transport for London (TfL) is increasing bus services to help with safer journeys to school.
https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2020/august/tfl-urges-children-to-walk-cycle-and-scoot-to-school-to-help-children-safely-return-to-the-classroom

We are still waiting to see when the government requires TfL to replace the free children and youth fares. The new fares are expected to be 50% of adult fare so 75p fare for most trips.

To support the campaign for free fares for children sign this petition here.

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July 13, 2020 · 12:16 am

Summer activities for children and young people

To find out about local summer activities for children, young people and families check out Lambeth’s web site:
http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Summer2020

Or you can download this brochure.

With the coronavirus lockdown reducing there are changing government guidelines every week. So do check regularly for the latest information.

Here is are examples of activities:
Lambeth Libraries programme includes the Summer Reading Challenge https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKLAMBETH/bulletins/292c570
Fun packed summer programme filled with engaging activities for young people aged 11 to 19 years.

Rathbone in West Norwood have fun-packed summer activities for young people aged 11 to 19 years. include Sports, Arts and Creative Crafts, Music, Dance, Media, Cookery, Trips and much more  – contact cking@rathbonesociety.org.uk

CEF Lyncx are offering 5 weeks of activities for children and young people aged 8 – 15 and volunteering/work experience opportunities for young people aged 16+  http://cefi.org.uk/home

Lambeth Autism Group (NAS Lambeth) will be hosting a range of online sessions this summer -contact: lambeth@nas.org

Inspirational Youth have a one week  3rd to 7th August Summer Club for Year 6 children transitioning to Year 7  – at Streatham Youth and Community Trust SW16 – contact   louise@inspirationalyouth.org

@lamlibs
@_rathbone_
@CEFLyncx
@LambethNas
@iyeducate

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May 26, 2020 · 9:17 pm

Back to school in June?

Are you ready to send your children back to school after the coronavirus lockdown ? Not sure?

Lambeth council is holding an online question and answer session this Thursday 29th May at 1pm. For details & to book a place see: https://love.lambeth.gov.uk/coronavirus-back-to-school-discussion

Ed Davie, the councillor responsible for schools in Lambeth says: “As a parent of Lambeth primary and secondary school children I know how tough the last few months have been struggling with home learning, worrying about returning to school and just trying to get through each day. We want to listen to families, schools and unions to understand your concerns and support everyone to stay safe, healthy and learning”

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