WORRIED PARENTS of pupils at Highgate School have taken matters into their own hands launching a new initiative to save the school from closing, following months of uncertainty over its future.
Three members of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) prepared a two-phase plan of action for the school’s survival, and posted it online along with a petition to encourage the Highgate School Board to adopt the plan.
In its first day, the petition attracted 113 signatures, the great majority from parents and teachers.
The school in Ayios Andreas has had huge problems securing licences for its premises, following its expansion to include a secondary school, and the numerous complaints lodged by nearby residents.
Nicosia’s municipal council was due to consider the school’s applications for licence renewals and planning permission a number of times this past month, though each time the meeting was cancelled. Highgate is seeking at least a temporary licence to continue the education of over 400 children at its pre-school, primary and high school, while reports have surfaced that other locations are also being examined.
In the meantime, the staff have all been given redundancy notices to cover the school legally, in the event it fails to open the next academic year.
The uncertainty hanging over the popular multicultural school has proved a headache for teachers but also parents who on the one hand, want to keep their children there, but on the other, don’t want to be left without a place in another school should Highgate close.
A small number of parents have already moved their children to other schools, while some others are enrolling them elsewhere in preparation for the new academic year, especially those preparing to start their IGCSE courses next September.
The latest initiative to save Highgate comes from a small group of parents. According to their online petition, a series of events has led to a lack of confidence in the school’s continued viability. These include permitting issues, but also the “apparent lack of management capacity”.
The parents propose two action plans, one to keep the school open during the next academic year and the other focused on providing long-term solutions for the school’s problems.
They want to stop the drain of pupils and staff, enhance governance and improve communications and transparency. A series of goals and directions are listed, with the parents expressing their willingness to support implementation of the tasks that need to be undertaken to save the school.
According to a source close to the school, the parents’ proposal, without being perfect, is the best option currently on the table.
“The school ethos needs to continue. It’s a very unique school. If it closes down, we will need another 40 years to recreate such a school that is void of politics, has freedom of expression and a leading example of multiculturalism,” said the source.
The petition can be seen at www.petitiononline.com/HSP123.
