COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Residents in Walsgrave say they will fight plans for a new free school in the area which could encroach onto precious green space.



Around 17 residents mounted a protest against plans for Seva School to develop the site at Walsgrave Triangle.

The Telegraph reported previously that the trustees who run the Sikh free school want to move to Link House, a former Barclays Bank office. But the plan would also involve building on some green land nearby.

Sevak Education Trust, which runs the school, applied for prior approval to change the use of the Link House building, in Eden Road, into a state funded school on Tuesday October 28. Its application stated that proposals include “some discreet external works to provide appropriate outdoor play areas and adequate parking and vehicular access”.

Prior approval will only allow the building’s purpose to be changed. Any additional building work would need to be applied for separately.

Link House, which once accommodated 350 Barclays employees, would need to be extended as the Seva School looks to establish both primary and secondary departments. It is estimated that over 1,400 students would be enrolled within the next five years.

But local residents, councillors and businesses have all raised early objections to the plans, citing environmental and safety concerns – and are calling on the city council to turn down the plans.

Resident Peter Howells said: “The residents question the sense in siting a school so close to the motorway with traffic heading for the hospital, the Ansty Business Park and the large local supermarkets.

“We estimate that the school would generate an extra 2,000 car journeys a day to the site which will only make the already polluted air even more toxic.

“There are fears parents will also be dropping off their kids on the busy dual carriageway.

“Removing the mound between Edgefield Road and the business park would also destroy the little bit of countryside we have.”

Councillor Ed Ruane has also voiced his opposition to the plans. He said: “I’m whole-heartedly opposed to a school being sited there. It’s a bad location.

“If additional building work is allowed to extend the site, then the mound used as a barrier to separate the residential area from the M6 would have to be taken down.

“The traffic in the area is already horrendous. There is only one access point to the hospital and the school are also proposing one access point.”

No-one from Seva School was available to comment.

A controversial plan to create a playing field behind a Coventry school has been withdrawn.



Sevak Education Trust, which runs Seva School in Walsgrave, applied to change the use of land behind Denso Europe’s offices in Eden Road to a recreation area and access route.

But a spokesman for Coventry City Council told the Telegraph the application had been withdrawn on February 9, adding that there was no covering letter to explain why.

Seva School, a free Sikh school, has been contacted by the Telegraph several times for a comment.

The application had said that if Seva School, based at the former Barclays office in Link House, obtained neighbouring Ashford House, it would apply to extend the school playground and create sports courts.

It said: “Should the neighbouring Ashford House become available to the school, potentially securing its future at the current site, a further planning application would be submitted to develop the playing field further with the addition of multi-sports courts.”

Local residents objected to plans fearing the destruction of precious green space and a protective mound.

A spokesperson from the Walsgrave Community Forum previously said: “The mound protects residents from some of the noise from the M6 and business estate and is in the process of being added to the local plan to offer it some protection from development.

“The applicant still hopes to acquire the building next door and state that if that happened they would want more ground for a multi-use games area which would mean significant works to enable this to be flatted and usable.”

Coun Ed Ruane supported the views of locals.

He said at the time: “They would obviously have to cut into the mound in order to provide a level playing field, because at the moment the field is on a 45 degree gradient.

“The Sevak Education Trust are submitting planning applications on a piecemeal basis, which will eventually result in the loss of the mound altogether.

He added: “Residents should not be impacted on any further with the loss of the mound, just because the council granted permission for a school to operate from an office building on a Business Park.

The headteacher of a Coventry faith school has been put on gardening leave.



Seva School’s executive principal is Patricia Hammond but the school was unable to confirm the circumstances of her departure.

One parent said Mrs Hammond was already the third headteacher in recent years at the Walsgrave Sikh school for four to 16-year-olds.

The first was Julia Burns, followed by Devinder Riat.

A source connected with the free school said staff were told yesterday afternoon that Mrs Hammond had been put on gardening leave by a group of governors at 9.30pm on Monday.

Mrs Hammond has only been in her post since last June at the school which first opened two years ago.

The school, which moved to its current site in Eden Road a year ago, shuts for the summer holidays today.

Coventry faith school under investigation by government amid 'concerns'



Education chiefs are investigating a Coventry faith school amid “concerns”.

Seva School is at the centre of an investigation launched by the Department for Education, it has emerged.

The DfE said it was “aware of concerns” about the government-funded free school for four to 16-year-olds, which first opened two years ago.

Mystery surrounds the reason for the probe.

The DfE said it can’t comment on investigations which are ongoing.

In July, the Walsgrave Sikh school’s executive principal Patricia Hammond was put on gardening leave. It is understood she is not under investigation.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We are aware of concerns regarding Seva School in Coventry and are investigating.

“We are in discussions with the school and trust to agree a way forward and ensure children are receiving a high quality education.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Seva School is based at the former Barclays office in Link House and is run by the Sevak Education Trust.

The Telegraph contacted Seva School to ask for a comment on the DfE investigation.

The Telegraph also asked what has happened since Mrs Hammond was put on gardening leave.

The school was previously unable to confirm the circumstances of her departure.

A welcome message on the school’s website which had been from Mrs Hammond has now had her name and photograph removed.

Coventry's Seva School put into 'special measures' after snap Ofsted inspection

A Coventry faith school has been put into special measures after being given the lowest Ofsted grading possible.

Seva School which first opened two years ago has been rated “inadequate” in its first inspection by the education watchdog.

According to Ofsted, an inadequate school is one that has “serious weaknesses” and that it is failing to give pupils “an acceptable standard of education.”

In their report about Seva, a government-funded free school in Walsgrave for four to 16-year-olds, inspectors said “trust and communication have broken down”.

Ofsted said the inspection was carried out at short notice “in response to concerns” that had been brought to its attention.

Inspectors reported that “some staff obstruct the work of others”, “staff morale has dipped” and some staff wear Kirpans – ceremonial daggers – in school.

Their report said that over the past 12 months several school leaders have come and gone, some at short notice.

It added: “It is hard to know the exact cause of all the disagreements or reasons for leaving.

“It is clear, however, that among the current staff and parent body there are many strongly held feelings and split loyalties.

“Some think the school is now doing much better after a difficult year, while others are critical and believe the school is in decline.”

Inspectors said some members of the community and parent body believe the curriculum is too narrow and that extreme religious views are being promoted at the school. But the inspection found no evidence of this.

Inspectors said: “Daily prayers are spoken in Punjabi, but this is not compulsory and a moderate approach is taken when teaching about the Sikh faith.

“Some staff do wear Kirpans (ceremonial daggers) in school.

“Inspectors found that the school had drawn up guidelines and carried out risk assessments for this practice.”

In a statement the school said: “The governors and senior leaders at the Seva School are hugely disappointed with the recently published Ofsted report, believing it fails to recognise the good practice at the school or to clearly acknowledge the positive work the new leadership team are putting in place.”

Coventry school could see funding axed after being rated inadequate

A Coventry academy judged inadequate by school inspectors could have its government funding axed.

The announcement was made to the Seva School in a letter from the Department for Education on October 3, seen by CoventryLive.

It reads: "As a result of the Education and Adoption Act 2016, regardless of the terms in an academy's funding agreement, the Regional School's Commissioner (on behalf of the Secretary of State) can terminate the funding agreement of an academy that has been judged inadequate.

"Seva School was judged as 'inadequate' by Ofsted on 22 September 2016, with subsequent Ofsted Section 8 monitoring inspections, with the most recent opinion of Ofsted (dates 24 July 2018) states: 'Leader and managers are not taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.'"

The notice throws the Walsgrave faith school's future into doubt.

It comes after the school, on Eden Road, was first rated inadequate and placed into special measures - the worst rating available - by school watchdog Ofsted in 2016.

Progress has not been made according to inspectors who visited the school again on July 3, 2018.

The letter seen by CoventryLive sent to the academy by Christine Quinn, Regional Schools Commissioner for the West Midlands gives the school's Trustees 15 working days to respond.

CoventryLive has repeatedly contacted Seva School and the Sevak Trust which runs it for comment since 10.20am yesterday morning (Monday, October 8).

No comment has been issued by the school so far.

The Department for Education refused to reveal the amount of funding the school receives from the government despite repeated questions from CoventryLive.

Pupils and parents in protest over faith school row



More than 100 children and their parents have been protesting about plans to transfer their troubled faith school to another academy trust.

Seva School pupils missed classes on Monday morning to join their parents at the protest outside the Department for Education offices in Butts Road, Coventry.

The DFE warned current leaders - the Sevak Education Trust - that government funding could be withdrawn after the academy failed to make enough improvements after being rated inadequate by education inspectors Ofsted in 2016 and put into special measures.

Talks have been ongoing to transfer it to another trust, but some parents and Sikh community leaders claim the DFE wants the academy to join a trust that will see it lose its "Sikh ethos and religious freedoms"

Parents at the protest on Monday morning told CoventryLive that they were disappointed they hadn't been consulted on the change.

One mother, who didn't want to be named, said: "I am here to support Seva School. I am terribly disappointed to possibly change it into a multi faith school.

"We worked so hard to keep this school as a Sikh School.

"My child is doing so well here. She has good friends, and it is a real community feel.

"Myself and my husband both work full time, so don't necessarily have time to go to the Gurdwara, but at the school, they teach this along with the education our children need.

"So we thought putting our daughter in this school she would get the education and the faith element which we think is really really important.

"We are just so disappointed that the trust is going to change and it might go to a trust that is a multi-faith school which just defeats the object of us putting our child in this school."

A spokesman for the Trust said in a previous statement to CoventryLive: "Seva School’s Funding Agreement is being terminated by the Department for Education (DfE) because it was judged by Ofsted to be Inadequate in 2016, entering special measures.

"For two years since, Ofsted concluded the school has not been able to achieve sufficient improvements. The DfE has decided to act to ensure the education of pupils does not suffer further."