Dobson fights to halt move of leading deaf school

Campaign: Frank Dobson MP, who is fighting for the future of Frank Barnes School for deaf children
Evening Standard12 April 2012

One of London's leading schools for deaf children could be under threat, as plans to move the school are set in motion.

Frank Barnes School near Swiss Cottage takes children from 16 boroughs and is the only one in the capital to teach primary-age children in sign language.

Camden council called it a national resource - but the school may be forced to relocate under new plans to rebuild nearby.

Local MPs Frank Dobson and Glenda Jackson are leading a campaign to save the school and have demanded a meeting with education minister Lord Adonis.

In the Commons, Mr Dobson has put down an Early Day Motion which has been signed by 18 MPs in two days. He said: "These plans would be disastrous for the teaching of deaf children and closure should be prevented."

"Camden says a bit of the school could be attached to a school in Haringey, but everyone agrees that if they move it or reduce it in size, an absolutely top-notch super-specialist facility would disappear or be severely damaged."

Kevin Courtney, secretary of the Camden branch of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Frank Barnes is a truly excellent school for the deaf acknowledged by Ofsted and Lord Adonis. We think the council should be building Frank Barnes as a London centre of excellence, not proposing closure."

Camden council has launched a consultation on moving the school. A spokeswoman said it was committed to teaching deaf children but that the school was underused and losing money.

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