Harper Bell School Working Breakfast

The statement, “Harper Bell School will have to sell itself to me and convince me before I would entrust my son to this school because I have been failed badly in the past by Adventist education” led to a series of vigorous and robust exchanges between parents whose children have been through the school or are presently students and the presenter. This was part of the interaction at a working breakfast called by Solomon Senessie, Principal of the Harper Bell Adventist School on Sunday May 16 at 8.30pm. Mr Senessie was meeting with the Pastoral team of the West Midlands churches along with the education directors of the local congregations to share with them the most recent developments regarding the school’s application for Voluntary Aided Status (VAS). Mr Senessie pointed out that there were two major issues that needed to be addressed by the school’s Governing body before VAS will be considered by the Local Education Authority.

Adequacy of Classrooms

The first had to do with classroom sizes. Three of the classrooms are not compliant with government regulations as far as classroom sizes are concerned, needing to be a minimum of 54 square metres in size. Various options to resolve the problem were presented including converting numbers 31-34 Ravenhurst Street into class rooms or knocking down the houses completely and rebuilding them as classrooms. A third, more cost effective option was presented, that of converting the present Gym and music room into classrooms thereby resolving the problem of space, a solution which the school proposes to undertake in the very near future.

Financial Viability

The second issue had to do with the financial viability of the school. The LEA is recommending that steps be taken increase the enrolment of the school up to 180 students. At that number the school would attract sufficient government funding to cover all its operating and development costs in the Voluntary Aided Sector. At present the school enrolment stands at 110 pupils. Every student attending a school attracts a certain financial grant from the government. Unless the Harper Bell School has a student roll approaching 180 which the LEA regards as viable, VAS will not happen. Many parents due to issues of affordability are waiting for VAS before they will commit their children to the school but the challenge is that unless the enrolment increases, the LEA will not consider giving the school VAS because of its concerns relating to long term financial viability. Mr Senessie on behalf of the school Board asked the attendees to promote Christian education in their congregations, asking for an increase of at least “one more child from each church in the West Midlands,” so that it might meet the LEA’s criterion for viability.

The Harper Bell School which celebrates its 22nd anniversary this year has had an outstanding record of excellent outcomes with its pupil intake. Its performance in the government league tables has consistently been above the national average. This year 12 of its year six students sat entrances for Grammar Schools and 7 were succesful. It means that over 50% of its year six students have been accepted into local Grammar schools, with one child winning an academic scholarship to the King Edward VI Grammar School in Edgbaston Birmingham. “Our strength is that we have a balanced curriculum guided by a Biblical world view, presented by fully qualified staff that are all practicing Seventh-day Adventist Christians, who seek to integrate faith and learning in the school” said Principal Solomon Senessie. Richard Jackson, who served formerly as school chaplain said “Our programme of formally teaching Adventist values in our after-school Bible study classes have proven to be very successful and we baptised 17 children in 2007 and 12 the following year.”