Will free schools drive up standards? Read Toby Young's guest post and join the conversation

[ElenMumsnetBloggers]

Are free schools ready to fall or fly? Do they really drive up standards or are they a snobbish gimmick? And should more parents be setting up their own schools? Journalist and producer Toby Young explains why he set up the West London Free School and what makes the free school proposition an exciting one. Join the conversation that Toby's begun and have your say on free schools.

Toby ...the figures for children with SEN and looked after children please...and what's your favourite biscuit?

TalkinPeace2, We currently have 28 children on free school meals, i.e. 23.5% of 120. We recently disclosed this in response to an FOI request. I can assure you it's accurate.

TalkinPeace2, The Hammersmith Academy

roundcornsilkvirgin, One looked-after child and approximately 25% SEN.

thanks for that Toby
of the 25% SEN how many have statements of SEN and how many have SEN with no statement?

This is how the info is laid out on the site that you linked to Toby

Number of pupils with special needs with statements
Percentage of pupils with special needs with statements
Number of pupils with special needs without statements
Percentage of pupils with special needs without statements

roundcornsilkvirgin, Not a single statemented child applied to be admitted in 2011. I think that's understandable because our SEN provision is limited given that we only have 120 children at present. Several have applied to be admitted in 2012.

Toby
I can find the tender document stating £20 million here
where does your other £14m come from?

thanks for that Toby
why would your SEN provision be limited though?

Toby, I have followed your developments very carefully for a number of years (particularly enjoyed your piece in last Saturday's Telegraph) and applaud you every step of the way.
Peopel have no idea how terrfiyingly bad schools are and how the concept of a swchool as a place of proper education and learning has been all but lost, in the name of a vague all embracing touchy feely curriculum

Children with Special Needs come out of it even worse, as such is the benign neglect and patronising assumption that they need entertaining as opposed to educating, most come out having done little more than lolling in hugely expensive 'sensory rooms' and having teachers fill in files of downloaded photographs

Vicky Snyder sums it up perfectly in her devastating attack on liberal 'education' in this cracker of a book.

As an educational researcher and a professional in the public sector, I despair of what is on offer, and I speak as a parent of a child with special needs, who is only able to do what she can because I have taken almost complete responsibility for her education, using what I know works.

I would swim through sewage to get my kid into a free school and am seriously thinking of setting up myself. I applaud you and your heroic battles against the spite, jealousy and vitriol of the unions and the loathsome Fiona Millar.
Keep on inspiring and entertaing. Atttaboy!

TalkinPeace2, Construction work generally accounts for only two-thirds of the total cost of a new build. I got the £34m figure from an official at the DfE.

roundcornsilkvirgin, Because we're funded on a per-capita basis. Economies of scale.

there's a steadily escalating series of punishments.

Would you elaborate? Presumably you think that your staircase of consequences is much more effective than... usual. Why would that be? Do you have any powers/options for discipline that ordinary state schools lack? Or is your approach superior because of will to implement?

Oh, and when you remove them from the class, exactly where do you remove them to? For how long, doing what during that time, etc. Can you share with us the detailed policy?

I had a look at your website but couldn't find any published policies(?)

Thanks moondog. Appreciate it.

I've got to go and help my wife who's at the local sports club with our four kids (aged 8, 6, 4 and 4). I'll return to this thread later and answer any additional questions you have.

1. They haven't driven up standards overall in Sweden.
2. They pushed the overall education budget up in Sweden by 10%
3. There is adverse selection of pupils with SEN in Sweden.
4. In the US, for example Boston, areas with Charter Schools receive considerably more funding than other schools, reducing the amount available in areas of social deprivation to remaining pupils.
5. In the UK, subsidy is being received for capital investment, with no guarantee that any profits will accrue to the public purse should Free Schools fail.

Thankyou for your replies Toby - very interesting thread

Toby I don't believe that your answer to my point is actually realistic or understanding of the wider impact of the free school program. Just because BSF is a failed procurement process does not mean we need a whole new education system we just need to procure school building and maintenance contracts better - we have been involved in doing this for SEN schools outside of the BsF process with great success but because these a procured on an individual basis they don't get the press that BSF does. Free schools are an expensive experiment that detracts from providing a good quality education for all. I am not the only one of this opinion, in fact I was discussing this with one of the foremost educational consultants in the uk who is dismayed but not surprised that the government has allowed and encouraged this as it will mean less resources for those areas that he battles to raise standards in the most such as the poor and neglected areas of the NE and Yorkshire.

We have a free school here about to open, but only recruiting yr 6 and yr 9... Why?

I'm sure they are set up with the best of intentions but that is not enough. I think CTC's were the beginning of this (under the previous conservative govt) and although some were excellent schools (I went to one) it was the beginning of deciding that instead of fixing education for all we'd opt out and tinker.... Labour continued this with academies and the Tories are back at it with free schools.

lljkk, The Code of Conduct is here:

www.westlondonfreeschool.co.uk/userfiles/conduct.pdf

wonkylegs, You've committed the fallacy of argumentum ad verecundiam.

SaraSidle, There's a free school in Bedford and Kempston opening in 2012 that's admitting Year 7s and Year 9s. Is that the one you're thinking of? The reason they're admitting the Year 9s is because of the peculiar, three tier education system in Suffolk whereby some children attend middle schools up to Year 8. You can learn more about that school here:

www.bedfordfreeschool.co.uk/

Ta, I will give WLFS full credit for that being easy to read & understand.

I wonder how different it is in practice from ordinary state schools (does anyone feel qualified to comment?); I understand for instance, that at our local secondary, weekend/afterschool detentions aren't possible for children who come from the villages by bus, because of the legal obligation to provide transport (and the need to keep that cost-effective).

By the way, if anyone out there is interested in setting up a free school I've just written a how-to guide for Penguin. You can download it for £1.99 here:

www.amazon.co.uk/Free-School-Penguin-Special-ebook/dp/B0069YVXA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322052996&sr=8-1