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Insider says the identity of the school is being kept secret from the public

CITY council chiefs have denied claims that they are preparing the ground for “closure” of a primary school.

A source in the Westminster school system told Extra this week that plans to shut down a school, or “amalgamate” it with another nearby, were being drawn up behind closed doors.

The insider believes the identity of the school is being kept secret from the public until after the May 7 council elections.

Responding to the allegation yesterday, Thursday, Aicha Less (above), Labour’s deputy council leader and cabinet member for children and public protection, said: “This is simply untrue.

“The council does not have plans under way on any proposal to close the school; neither have we hired an auditor for this process.”

The source said the council was playing with semantics as the city council did not consider “amalgamations” – where two schools become one – as officially a closure.

A city council spokesperson said the statement also applied to “amalgamations”.

The source said that a senior school executive had revealed eight schools in Westminster were threatened with “closure” due to falling admissions.

One would be announced shortly after the May 7 election, the source said, adding that “legal closure documents were being drafted in secret”.

Several schools in Westminster have either closed or joined forces with neighbours due to plummeting admissions, which affects funding.

The number of state schoolchildren in Westminster is rapidly diminishing each year because of the lack of affordable family-sized housing.

Soho Parish and All Souls CE schools are in the process of “federating” under a single leadership team.

The Soho school had been threatened with closure until The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler swung into action to support it.

In the north west of the borough Barrow Hill Junior, Robinsfield Infant and George Eliot Primary schools “merged” to become St John’s Wood Primary School.

Our Lady of Dolours also “merged” into St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School.

St Stephen’s and St Mary Magdalene’s Church of England Primary Schools were previously amalgamated in 2022.

Cream of the British film world set to gather at the Royal Festival Hall

Cillian Murphy in Steve [Netflix]

THE splendid navel-gazing the film industry loves to indulge in kicks off at the start of each year: our nation’s film awards, the Baftas, are squeezed in between the big Stateside gongs, the Golden Globes and then the big one: the Oscars, in March.

On February 22, the cream of the British film world will gather at the Royal Festival Hall, prepped to make tear-jerking speeches in case they scoop one of the Golden Masks.

Possibly the most interesting category is the Outstanding British Film section, and the mix on offer ranges from the next instalment of the outstanding UK Zombie franchise 28 Years Later to the comfort rom-com of Bridget Jones, some thespian-indulging period stuff with Mr Burton and a tale of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet.

It shows what our film industry seeks to achieve and reflects the interests of our times.

Contenders include I Swear, which tells the story of John Davidson, a Glaswegian who has tourettes. The film reveals truths about his life – and prompts the viewer to realise that raising awareness of the condition is vital to help people who have it.

Pillion, starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, explores a BDSM relationship between two men living in Kent. Melling plays Colin, a quiet, introverted man who lives with his parents, issues parking tickets for a living and sings in a barber shop quartet. He meets Ray, a good-looking biker and the pair embark on a relationship. It has been praised for taking an unconventional topic and finding heart, warmth, laughter and drama: an outsider for the prize but a brilliant example of contemporary UK film.

The Bone Yard – the subtitle to the third 28 Years Later film – is technically good, squeamishly unpleasant, and has Ralph Fiennes mesmerising, though he missed out on a Best Actor nomination. Perhaps we are used to him turning in such performances. Cillian Murphy, who starred in the first “28”, appears at the very end.

Murphy also appears in the drama, Steve, where he plays the headteacher at a school for children with behavioural challenges, is also up for the award.

This outstanding school-based drama has Murphy as the stressed-out head, hiding his own addiction issues as he battles to keep order and hopefully impart some wisdom and knowledge during a school day. Tracey Ullman plays his deputy while Emily Watson also stars in a well-paced adaptation of Max Porter’s story Shy.

Centenary celebration at Bar Italia, Frith Street, Soho, site of the ‘world’s first demonstration of television’

THE grandson of an inventor who gave the first public demonstration of television in Soho spoke about his legacy at a centenary celebration.

Iain Logie Baird was guest of honour at the event in memory of John Logie Baird at Bar Italia in Frith Street on Monday.

The building is fondly known as the “birthplace of TV”, where the first television images were unveiled on January 26 1926.

An upstairs room has been named after John Logie Baird (1888-1946) in his honour.

Iain Logie Baird said: “Thank you all for coming out today, I want to thank Martin [Wilkie] for all his work on this event. I want to also mention that my father Malcolm would love to be here but, at 90, unfortunately couldn’t make the trip.

“My father went to study chemical engineering and moved to Canada where he met my mother and brought me up. But I have lived here since 2007 and work as a television historian so the importance of the building isn’t lost on me.

Inventor John Logie Baird

“I got the chance to see the rooms where my grandfather lived and the history was significant for me. I truly believe that my grandfather solved the problem of TV not just for the UK but for the whole world.

“Everyone thinks that the television dates back to the 1950s but there was really 20 to 30 years of history before that and I want to draw attention to that. I want to thank Bar Italia and all their support… I have been back a few times over the years and it is always great to see how they have honoured my grandfather’s legacy. I want to thank them on behalf of my whole family and the five grandchildren.”

TV stars including actress Su Pollard and comedian Rory Bremner attended the event, and a World Origin Site plaque was unveiled in the room above the main restaurant.

Bar Italia is itself part of the rich social history of Soho and owner Antony Polledri told people at the event, “we would be nowhere without TV”, and thanked everyone for being there.

He added that the Soho restaurant is “the best office in the world” and spoke of how he liked to stand outside just “to watch the diverse characters walking past”.

Iain Logie Baird

He said: “I want to encourage all sorts of people to come into the restaurant. It is a home for people from all walks of life… without the characters of Soho, we have nothing.”

Iain Logie Baird unveiled the plaque, and said that his “grandfather solved the television problem not just for the UK but the world”.

A historic film of John Logie Baird’s son Malcolm talking about the event was also played.

The 90 year old emphasised that “the television industry now is fragmented” and that “human nature will play an important role in the fragmented second century of television”.

He ended by suggesting that “we can all look forward to interesting times”.

World Origin Site founder Martin Wilkie said: “Soho has been a crucible for the arts for over 100 years and continues to be” and thanked the Soho community. “If it wasn’t for them the street would be something like a shopping centre”.

He said the now Baird room was “for the present members of the media scene” and “for meetings of the future while remembering the importance of Baird’s past”.

Scheme would create a direct east-west route along the north side of Hyde Park

A CYCLE safety lane temporarily introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic is set to be made permanent.

A consultation on the Bayswater Road Cycle Movement Strategy – which included improved pedestrian crossing and a segregated lane – is ending on February 4.

To comment go to: https: //cmsbayswaterroad.commonplace.is/

The lane would run east from Palace Court to Lancaster Terrace and west from Lancaster Terrace to the Broadwalk.

The scheme will link up two cycleways, C3 and C27, creating a direct east-west route along the north side of Hyde Park.

Conservatives including the former Kensington MP Felicity Buchan are campaigning against the changes but the Labour administration at Westminster say urgent action is needed to protect cyclists.

The Bayswater Residents Association has alerted its members to the consultation, in a bulletin that said: “Displaced traffic is likely to seek alternative routes through currently quiet residential streets. Sunday parking on Bayswater Road will be lost, increasing parking pressure on nearby residential streets.

“The large number of crossing points which pierce the proposed west-east track may pose accident risks to pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists themselves.”

Representatives for the visually impaired and elderly have criticised cycle lane designs that run alongside bus stops, arguing cyclists often do not yield at designated crossings.

The government had reviewed its position but this week came out with new guidance than ultimately recommended “bus stop bypasses – where the cycle lane is routed away from where the bus pulls in – is still the most safe redesign solution in high traffic routes”.

Hyde Park Labour councillor Max Sullivan (above), the cabinet member for road changes, said: “Don’t miss your chance to have your say on our plans to make Bayswater Road safer to walk and cycle on for people of all ages and abilities.

Protected lanes for cycling will have little or no impact on motor journey times, because traffic on Bayswater Road already operates in single-file due to parking and loading.

“Cyclists are the most commonly injured road user across Westminster, including on Bayswater Road, and the new protection will significantly reduce casualty risk and enable more people to get on their bike.”

He added: “One of the ways that protection is provided is by routing the cycle track behind the bus stops so that they don’t get hit by buses and other traffic. I understand that ‘floating bus stops’ are a cause of concern for some people, and in other parts of London some have not been designed well. In Westminster we will only install them where they are necessary and we will always include a zebra crossing which cyclists are legally obliged to stop at.

“As part of this scheme people walking and wheeling will benefit from simpler, faster straight-across green-man crossings over Bayswater Road, upgraded tactile paving for people with visual impairments, and safer side road crossings.”

Tightly plotted play that evolves from domestic drama to small-time gangster thriller bristles with energy

Fred Woodley Evans (Phillip), Chris Walley (Treat) and Forbes Masson (Harold) in Orphans [Charlie Flint]

AL Miller’s engaging, well-acted revival of Lyle Kessler’s 1983 play Orphans offers an edgy exploration of masculinity within a dysfunctional family shaped by the absence of women.

Set in a dilapidated-row house in north Philadelphia, 28-year-old Phillip (Fred Woodley Evans) hasn’t stepped outside in years. Convincingly childlike and naïve, he’s cared for by his older brother, Treat (Chris Walley), surviving on canned tuna, mayonnaise, and the escapism of television.

Treat, a volatile thug, brings home whatever he can steal, relying on his flick-knife and well-practised menace. He insists Phillip stays indoors, claiming he’s vulnerable to allergies – a fiction gradually revealed as a means of control.

One night, Treat drags home Harold (the excellent Forbes Masson), a drunken stranger with a briefcase full of bonds. He assumes he can hold Harold to ransom, but hasn’t reckoned with the older man’s cunning and connections. When Harold sobers up, the brothers quickly realise they’ve taken on more than they bargained for.

But Harold wins their trust by reminding them that they are all orphans and should stick together. He slips into a father-figure role, offering money, stability, and opportunities they find hard to refuse.

As the play evolves from domestic drama to small-time gangster thriller, there are shades of Pinter in the shifting power dynamics, carefully calibrated by the three actors.

Confined to a single room, Miller’s claustrophobic production makes effective use of Jermyn Street Theatre’s tiny space, supported by Sarah Beaton’s understated design.

Despite some uneven pacing, Orphans is tightly plotted and the performances bristle with energy.

Until January 24