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.

[moondog]

Wonkylegs, the generic state funded school was set up with the best of intentions too.
But that isn't enough.
Thinking you do a 'good job' just isn't good enough.
It's not good enough for my kids and it shouldn't be good enough for yours.

I deplore this kneejerk vaguely lefty/liberal assumption that cos it is state funded and has been in existence for donkey's, it is good enough, yeah?

There is nothing more terrifying than a public sector worker convinced that thewir way, and only their way is the best and the proper and that any attempt at reforms is nothing but a toff conspiracy to crush the proles.

People like Christine Blower, head of the NUT.
Jesus, with 'advocates' like that, kids are stuffed from the word go.

[moondog]

I've done you a proper link, Toby.

Couldn't think of a better Christmas present. It will be going to many on my list.

[moondog]

And again. Christine must have tried to censor it.

[wonkylegs]

I am a private sector worker and I'm not a lefty liberalist more of a common sense centralist. Somebody has to remember those who won't benefit from the free school experiment - if we neglect them (which is what this does) then we drag down the whole of society. It's not joined up thinking, it's ignoring the majority for a vocal minority.
Yes as parents we want the best for our kids but I don't agree that this is the way to get it.

[microcow]

blimey toby do a free link

who buys the land that the free school will go on?

[wonkylegs]

Thankfully society is made up from more than those who can quote a dead language! I happen to agree with that particular authority - his passion and dedication both given freely and as a professionally reflects a true dedication to children's education. He works within the system to improve it rather than writing it off because not everybody in the uk are pretentiously middle-class/ religiously ideological etc has the same ideals.
I understand the idea behind wanting the best and to assist our future generations which is why I mentor kids within our local school system but don't agree that free schools is the way to do it.

[BoffinMum]

Toby has strategically ignored the factual points I made in my post. The data on this are so very inconvenient, aren't they?

[ElaineReese]

Am I an old-fashioned Tory? Well, I've been called many things in my time, but never that.

Any normal state school with a normal catchment area, though, would surely have to say that not all of its pupils are going to want to, or be able to, go to 'top universities' (although I suppose that depends on your definitions). To set that up as your plan and intention seems to me a bit blinkered. What about children who don't want to do that, or who don't get the grades? Not everyone can get the results needed for RG or Oxbridge!

10% musical aptitude places, eh? That must really weed out the middle class children, I imagine!

[microcow]

the musical intake part made me snigger.

[ElaineReese]

It's also slightly odd that an actual Tory would consider it an insult to call someone an 'old fashioned Tory', actually!

And you did also ignore all the rest of my post. I think it would be a noble aim to say 'we will do our absolute damndest to help any child who wants to go to an excellent university to achieve that goal'. To say that it is your expectation that they all will, or will all want to, seems very blinkered and a bit daft.

[TobyYoung]

microcow, The musical aptitude test is designed so as not to favour children who have any prior musical knowledge. We don't ask them to play an instrument or read music. They're simply played a note and asked to sing it back, etc.

[coppertop]

Thanks for the link, Toby.

Does the school really categorise spitting as being in the same category of seriousness as smoking and gambling?

[TobyYoung]

ElaineReese, I don't understand your opposition to high expectations. As Max Weber said, "It's only by reaching for the impossible that we find out what's possible."

[Greythorne]

Toby
Why is there a music appitude test but no maths appitude test?
Why music?

[LemonDifficult]

TY - 'I hear these arguments whenever I go to a dinner party.'

Oh, man, can I imagine those dinner parties.

I hope you get a fucking knighthood, I really do.

[noblegiraffe]

What will you do with students who look like they will not achieve 'at least 6 GCSEs or IGCSEs at grade C or above, including Maths, English, English Literature, History, Science and a Foreign Language', given that your objective is to ensure a 100% pass rate?

Also, how can you afford such small class sizes?

[GypsyMoth]

Yes Toby, thanks, that's our school dd old maths teacher is opening it. Thanks for the link, seriously considering it.

But I am also a fan of our 3 tier system, so feel torn.

[BoffinMum]

There is evidence that children who have had training in practical music and aural tests can respond to these so-called aptitude tests better.

The evidence on class sizes is that putting pupils in small classes doubles the number of teachers required and puts costs up accordingly, for an improvement if two-thirds of a grade point at GCSE, but the same outcome can be achieved by extending the school year by two weeks or removing the worst 10% of teachers.

[fivecandles]

I notice you haven't answered the question about why your SEN provision should be limited.

If your school selects 'by musical aptitude' then it is a selective school. There is plenty of research that indicates that the more barriers you place in front of access to a school the less likely it is to admit disadvantaged children.

It is also very odd that you should place such value on musical aptitude. Why? What about those pupils who haven't got any?

I have taught many children who would lack the confidence to perform your musical aptitude test especially since it involves singing notes back etc.

[lljkk]

Oh heavens, I'd never get in; very clever at academics but completely hopeless at music (as a child, anyway).

[BoffinMum]

Using Music and Modern Foreign Language aptitude tests also helps schools screen for middle class, pro-school children. If you find a school selecting for design technology or PE, the social profile of pupils tends to be less affluent. He's not daft - favouring non-SEN middle class kids will allow him to give the impression his school is successful, especially if they boot anyone out who is remotely challenging to teach.

[moondog]

Children with special needs don't generally do well in integrated schools.
It makes all the trendy liberals feel good ('Gosh yes, little Chloe wears the overalls and hands out the goggles in Chemistry. She takes part in everything! The fact that she is sitting there flicking a piece of paper all lesson and staring out of the window is conveniently overlooked.)

Additionally the use of labels in SEN is so meaningless and arbitrary that there will never be any realistic allotment of children to purposeful education until it is sorted, so that is a whole different matter.

Boffin, I'm not sure why you expect TY to explain, interpret and account for issues with charter schools elsewhere in the world and their respective governments' decisions on funding. To draw an analogy, it is like asking me to draw up a service revies on Nurundi's provision for non verbal children with ADSD who require A/AC.
I was in the States this summer and spent a lot of time with people who have children in charter schools. Needless to say, most of them are massively oversubscribed as indeed is the London Free. TY's articles in the Telegraph last Saturday gave the figures as well as those for teacher applications. He seems to modest to link/quote, so I hope he will now.
Doug Lemov runs a chain of very successful charter schools in the States and is a very inspiring man indeed.

I think you might find your energies better directed to home and considering such worrying factors as to why we are pouring taxpayers' money into unions.
Here's a helpful link.

Wonky, your embarrassing dismissal of 'quoting a dead language' with regard to Latin is a fine example of how access to a glittering treasure trove of knowledge has been denied to those who consider Latin the preserve of anachronisitic pedagogy.

I use my knowledge of Latin nearly every day of my life. It served and continues to serve me well in understanding words from unfamiliar languages and unencountered ones from those I do speak.

[CecilyP]

Does the school really categorise spitting as being in the same category of seriousness as smoking and gambling?

I think they are just trying to cover all eventualities. Does a lot of spitting and gambling go on in schools? It is difficult to imagine those sweet 11 year olds in the pictures doing any of those things.

[moondog]

And I am really irritated to see an advert for a bloody teaching union appearing on this site!