Toby Young is bragging about his "free school" in todays Telegraph. Any independent opinions?

Tortu If I had kids of the right age, I'd be desperately trying to get them into Hammersmith Academy.

That's the problem though isn't it? If you don't live close enough to Hammersmith Academy to get in then at least you've got a chance of the TY school because of the lottery element.

I'll be quite happy for my DD to go to the local "good enough" High School but it has a reputation for being a bit too laid back, so we will enter the lottery for the TY school as I think it will push her more.

I don't agree with free schools, I strongly object to church schools (I know, I know, that's another oft repeated thread! ) so we just have to try and do the best we can with what we've got so I will but my DD's name down for a school I object to in principle.

Hullo!

I work in a school not far away. TY's school has not been the resounding, immediate failure that we had been expecting, based on all of the arrogant statements he has been making. Although how we did laugh when they had their first exclusion of the year earlier than us!

However, it is far too early to tell anything, to be honest. I would be waiting until the end of the second GCSE cohort had gone through before you could really judge.

If I had kids of the right age, I'd be desperately trying to get them into Hammersmith Academy. It is stunning and the leadership team are frighteningly good, with a lot of experience behind them. The same cannot be said for TY's school, as rumour has it thhe head there is not exceptional although, obviously, there is not much of a 'leadership team' yet.

I am not hugely supportive of free schools, in principle, as I think the money could be put to better use by LEAs in setting up schools.

However, having read some of the admissions threads earlier this year about significant numbers of children receiving no offer of a place whatsoever, I am coming around to the idea that there might be a place for free schools, of a sort.

However, I do loathe the non-inclusive educational nostalgia peddled by Toby Young and Michael Gove, for that matter.

Great, so he sets up a school for his own and his mates kids funded by the state. I certainly hope all kids will be treated equally once they are in the school.

I had the unfortunate experience of sending my kids to a private school where there were quite a few teachers' kids. My daughter actually overheard one particular teacher discussing how to fix a raffle so that her kids would win!

He's also 'consulting' as to whether children of the founders should be given priority places.

It's in the midst of a lengthly consultation document. I expect the answer will be 'yes'.

So, despite his insistence that the WLFS would be non-selective, he's launched plans for it to be within less than a year f its opening.

manup2012 - it is only partly a lottery the main criteria is local to the school which accounts for 45%. Even the lottery places are allocated within 1 mile and a few within 3 miles. TY plans a primary which will be the main feeder and as they have a sibling policy, I think that few places will be allocated by lot eventually.

anotherteacher, I doubt TY would admit it, if it hadn't gone well.

At my DD's school, a new HT arrived and pretty much instigated a "DNA change". It needed radical change but also threw out positive things like the PTA. I am quite sad about that as I would love to have been involved in supporting the school. 10 years down the line they have appointed a "parent leadership team" appointed by teachers with no official application process, who apparently speak for all parents.

mummytime - the kids from my area who don't get into Holland Park seem to go to Hurlingham and Chelsea (now Ofsted Outstanding), which is quite a way away, which makes me think that LBHF residents did have schools before the two new ones.

I think TY's school's main catchment overlaps with Hammersmith Academy and probably schools in Chiswick as well. There is a shortage in central London and a new academy is planned very close to me in RBKC but I don't necessarily think that two new schools very close to each other in Hammersmith will solve the problem.

Not sure what TY will do if his own kids don't get in. Phoenix or Acton High are quite close to him I would have thought.

I like the fact that it has a lottery admission system, it is the only way to go in London, it should be compulsory.

I agree that reinventing the wheel is absolutely great. The questioning of habits and traditions is a real opportunity for new ideas. Schools can be very hidebound by old routines. I have experience of a number of brand new schools (in international settings), both directly and through living in communities where new schools open. In my experience, if the first year has gone well and feelings are generally positive, then it is a very good sign.

Indeed. A year ago a HoD retired from DD's school who had been at the school for 36 years. It was impossible for any sort of change to occur under her leadership. Frankly, it is going to take several years to get up to speed now she is gone, and the people who worked under her iron fist are taking a very long time to open themselves up to new possibilities. Meaningless tradition is a very toxic thing.

(regarding parental things, open evenings , sports days etc we did get it wrong a bit but were new enough to be open to feedback)

I was a governor of a new school for AEONS.
I loved that it was new. That there was no meaningless tradition. That all the staff were good with no shit ones who had been thee for years. that we had a chance to radically change the org of the school day, the way children entered school, the whole thing

Also there was lots of help from county regarding policies.

Yes... I think our school needs much more debate about things like concerts etc as well as about the curriculum. I don't think that stuff is straightforward.

Bonsoir, regarding reinventing the wheel

• I am talking about the hours, nay days, wasted on staff meeting discussions of fairly straightforward things like concerts, sports days and whether or not the school should celebrate certain public events. This was alongside interminable policy discussions...Yet all the while the school had significant problems around attainment, behaviour, turbulence and community relations. It was a noticeable difference when I moved on to an established school and there was already a pattern or at least a model already in place for much of what the school was doing.

I don't support the idea of freeschools in principle but one of my DS old primary class mates goes to this school and him and his parents are very happy and impressed with it.

I didn't consider it for my son as I didn't think he would be a good fit, however I will put my principles aside and put it down for DD as I think she would do well there, however it is a very long shot as we are in the furthest band for the lottery places.

Any entrepreneurial business venture has the stamp of the founder on it - the transition to a less personal management style is always a little difficult.

- a HT who is often brought in to set up a new school can develop something of a cult of the personality. It is 'their' school, 'they' made it, things have to be done 'their way' and this can lead to significant management problems further down the line...

Sadly, I think this is true.

I understood there was a lack of school places in the area? Certainly before Hammersmith Academy was set up.

One year is ridiculous, every turn around seems good after 1 year, especially with all new pupils. You need GCSEs to be sure.

My independent opinion is that Toby Young is an arrogant, self serving wanker.

"The problems I noticed were:

• a lot of time was wasted 'inventing the wheel', whereas other schools that have been established a long time have traditions and patterns that run like clockwork, much less thought required."

That's an interesting observation. My DD is at a school that has a lot of traditions and patterns and, frankly, they are often outdated and need revising. But not enough thought is put into questioning them.

Oops IPhone!

I don't think you can measure success until a couple of years down the line. I am concerned at the waste of money of two schools opening in the same area - Hammersmith Academy opened this year and overlaps the catchment. Not to mention all the charities that were kicked out of the building so TY could have it for his school.
There are outstanding schools in LBHF already, but if they are next to a council estate, obviously they are not good enough for some!

Branching out has made some very good points.

Frankly, I don't think you will be able to measure success until at least a cou

Good for him. WIsh I lived in an area that had a free school like these.

I have taught in two new or recently established schools and agree that it is too soon to tell. Both schools had various problems connected with their recent establishment: one was 6 years old and one was about 10 years old at the time I joined.

The problems I noticed were:

• a lot of time was wasted 'inventing the wheel', whereas other schools that have been established a long time have traditions and patterns that run like clockwork, much less thought required.

• a HT who is often brought in to set up a new school can develop something of a cult of the personality. It is 'their' school, 'they' made it, things have to be done 'their way' and this can lead to significant management problems further down the line...

• the provision that is put in place for the first cohort of pupils is often very difficult to reproduce as the school gets bigger, yet the idea that the school should be doing X or Y un-manageable thing persists.