FEARS are growing that Bexley's new flagship school will end up providing education for Greenwich's children.

But headteachers in Thamesmead have denied suggestions they are not recommending the school to prospective parents.

Bexley Council has approved the closure of Thamesmead Community College at the end of the summer term.

Next September, at the beginning of the new school year, it will reopen at the new multi-million-pound Bexley Business Academy.

The new academy will be an independent state school, in a building designed by the renowned architect Sir Norman Foster.

It will offer state-of-the-art education to 11 to 18-year-olds in hotel-like surroundings with carpets throughout, small restaurants instead of a school canteen and the latest computer technology.

But Bexley director of education Paul McGee suggested last week the school could end up with lots of pupils from Greenwich because Bexley's primary heads were not recommending the school to parents.

"We need a change of culture," he said.

He told councillors there was no doubt Bexley schools were popular with Greenwich parents.

If they were available, Greenwich parents would take up places at the academy.

But he said the danger was, with a top priority for places going to brothers and sisters of existing pupils, large numbers of Bexley children would not be able to get places as the popularity of the academy grew.

Prospective Bexley parents were urged to go to the presentation evenings being arranged by 3E's, the company managing the project.

Councillors are enthusiastically backing the project.

Already 3E's has turned three "sink" schools into places where 1,500 children compete for 200 places.

Thamesmead's primary heads say they also back the project.

November 12, 2001 19:40

Linda Piper