Will kids be forced to go to unsuitable free schools?

[upthealdi]

Here in Brighton it looks like we are getting two new free schools - a bilingual free school (English and Spanish) and a C of E secondary.

I wouldn't want my dc to go to either - I just want, like most parents I suspect, my kids to have a secular education in their mother tongue.

If the C of E secondary goes ahead, that will mean a quarter of the secondaries here are religious and I don't think for a moment that a quarter of people are church-goers.

My question is this - in theory, if the schools I apply for my dc to go to are over-subscribed and the free schools have spare places, could my kids be sent there? My dc are already at primary school, luckily, but some areas of the city have a primary school shortage. The new bi-lingual primary is quite big (intake of 60) so could parents end up being directed there?

Watching with interest. I thought that free schools would decide their own admissions criteria, more like private schools than state schools. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will be along soon!

A quarter of people don't need to be 'church goers', but they may simply be religious

Free schools are like academies - they set their own admission criteria but they take part in the LA's co-ordinated admission scheme. If you don't get a place at one of your preferences and the nearest school with a place is one of the free schools you will generally be allocated a place there.

I would certainly take a look at the CofE secondary before dismissing it. You may well find that it is no more religious than the non-church secondary schools in your area.

The CofE school doesn't exist yet - it is just a proposal at this stage. If it does get the go ahead it could pan out in 2 ways. It could prove attractive, leaving more space in other schools, so those not interested in CofE might be more likely to get their school of choice. Alternatively, it may only prove more attractive to those living in catchments for less desirable schools, with the possibility of one of those schools closing and ultimately restricting choice.

I wonder how much demand there is for a bilingual Spanish school. Two form entry sounds quite big for something that is experimental. If it is fantastically popular, then you are unlikely to be directed there. If it is undersubscibed, it would perhaps have to modify what it does in order to get enough pupils.

As far as I know faith free schools are only allowed to take 50% children using faith criteria. In the primary school next door the other 50% are admitted by sibling/ distance rule.

If a faith free school is oversubscribed 50% of the places must be allocated without using faith criteria. If it is undersubscribed all applicants must be admitted.

Faith schools that are not free schools are not currently subject to any such limit.

You can currently be sent to a state C of E school even if you don't want to go, so I don't see why it being a free school makes it worse.

I suspect the bilingual will be well oversubscribed and there is no chance you'll be sent there.

Remember, one of the criteria for being able to start a free school, is being able to prove there will be a demand for it.

Indigobell it's true you can currently be sent to a faith school but I've never heard of it happening here. Surely the chances of that happening will increase hugely if there are two schools rather than one.

Equally, surely there is a demand for another C of E school otherwise it wouldn't be opening?

An awful lot of people choose to send their child to the best school the can, without caring about the faith or politics of the school.

If the school's good it will be oversubscribed, and then your child won't be forced to go there.

Equally if the school's not good, and isn't oversubscribed, the fact that it's a C of E school will be the least of your worries.