'Zealot' Michael Gove is accused of 'lunacy' in £400m free school row...how is this affecting your children's education?

[MillyDLA]

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/classroom-controversy-zealot-michael-gove-accused-of-lunacy-in-free-schools-budget-row-9350075.html

I would like some reactions and thoughts to this. As a teacher in an oversubscribed school, surrounded by other over subscribed schools money would have been better spent creating more places where they are needed in the state sector.

For reference, here is a list of non-denominational, non-selective Voluntary Aided schools in England (freshly filtered from the School Census data 2013):

The Camden School for Girls
William Ellis School
John Betts Primary School
Central Foundation Boys' School
Addey and Stanhope School
Prendergast-Hilly Fields College
Central Foundation Girls' School
Bournville Junior School
Bournville Infant School
Castle High School and Visual Arts College
Bingley Grammar School
Little Heath School
Lowther Endowed School
Dean Barwick School
Ombersley Endowed First School
Sytchampton Endowed First School
Baines School
The Boyle and Petyt Primary School
Kirkby in Malhamdale United Voluntary Aided Primary School
New Earswick Primary School
The Bliss Charity School
Royal Alexandra and Albert School
Chaddesley Corbett Endowed Primary School
Wolverley Sebright Primary School

Of course a Voluntary Aided school would require a small voluntary contribution (10% towards capital costs), but not for long if they converted to academy status soon afterwards.

then why has it not happened?

Probably because they don't realise it's possible.

Plus, they would have to provide the site. The EFA wouldn't come along and buy one for a VA school as they would for a Free School.

"Probably because they don't realise it's possible."

For the test case, the Diocese of Westminster was fortunate in having a barrister specialising in Education Law as their Director of Schools. He is now Director of the CES.

Yeah, but why should we have to have a "God" school ?
Why can we not have an inclusive school ?

I agree with vanillahoney, of course parents should have a choice of school for their children. If they go to the trouble of helping to set up a free school in their area then good for them. If all the people who complain about lack of places spent their energies supporting free schools then maybe their "places" problem would be solved. I think a lot of the opposition is ideological rather than rational.
I can see no reason why underperforming schools should continue to be funded, particularly if the children who go there are from deprived areas.....surely these children deserve an excellent education. What they don't deserve is a failing school.

"Why can we not have an inclusive school ?"

Like I said, there's no reason why a VA school has to be a faith school. That's why I listed those non-faith VA schools a few posts back. There may not be many of them, but they do exist.

Looking at the list of non god VA secondaries, most are ex grammars
and none are new

any evidence of NEW non god VA?

Cotwatcher
10% of the population of Southampton are Polish.
They are not allowed to vote in a UK general election.
But they pay UK taxes and have kids at UK schools.
Would you be happy for them to set up a Polish only free school?

cotwatcher If you bothered to read the whole thread rather than the bits that catch your attention, then perhaps you will see why the reasoning behind Vanillahoney's instance that they get more choice whilst others are left with none is flawed.

There is a budget for these schools. Gove has already started diverting funds. There is no way there will be enough money to provide school places to those that have a shortage as well as providing surplice places and subsequently choice for those who "go to the trouble of helping to set up a free school in their area".

Go on in your happy little dream that that choice is the way forward as I have no doubts that you will fully embrace the massive increases in tax required to fulfil your little self-centred dream.

it is strongly suspected that cotwatcher shares an IP address with sarah Vine

TalkinPeace "it is strongly suspected that cotwatcher shares an IP address with sarah Vine."

Is she really as stupid and myopic as her husband.

Gove is a prime example as to why state education for children is best. If this is what Eton is producing, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Talkin, there is an example of a recently established non-denominational VC School, but not a VA school as far as I can tell.

Of course there has to be a first time for everything. Some LAs are clearly more willing to push the boundaries than others.

then why has it not happened

It has. Exactly this mechanism has been used to set up the St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School and High School in Richmond. In this case the LA provided the site. These are VA schools. Given that the Catholic church now opposes free schools and academies it is unclear whether these schools will convert to academy status.

The Catholic church's opposition is based on the fact that the Admissions Code states that new faith schools must admit at least 50% of pupils without reference to faith. I have to say they seem to have thoroughly misunderstood this. The Deputy Director of the Catholic Education Service says this means they will have to turn pupils away because they are Catholics and admit others because they are not. This is nonsense. They are not required to admit at least 50% non-Catholics. They are required to admit at least 50% without reference to whether or not they are Catholics. It has also led them to oppose the proposal for St Mary's College in Liverpool (which is a Catholic school) to convert to a free school despite the fact that right now all children are admitted without reference to faith.

Sorry for getting somewhat off topic.

I HAVE read the whole thread and I still agree with vanillahoney. Just because you are of a different opinion to me does not mean that the argument is flawed.
It is interesting that I am insulted because you do not like my opinion. It is as valid as everyone else's

And no, I wouldn't be happy for them to set up a Polish ONLY free school, but that would not be allowed under the admission criteria. I would, however be happy for them to set up a free school that did adhere to the admission criteria.

TalkinPeace .

Might not be Sarah Vine of course; might be Dominic Cummings. He's a busy little chap with lots of social media accounts...

prh47bridge: "Given that the Catholic church now opposes free schools and academies it is unclear whether these schools will convert to academy status."

They will convert to academy status, as it says here. VA schools that convert to academy status can keep their existing admissions policies. It was always the intention for the schools to convert once they had opened as VA schools, hence the controversy.

The Catholic Church has no other in-principle objection to academies. Several of the Archdiocese of Westminster's other VA schools are now academies.

I can see no reason why underperforming schools should continue to be funded

So why do we have 54 'inadequate' rated sponsor-led secondary academies still with their sponsor? Because those schools cannot be taken over easily - certainly not by the LA. Even the E-ACT schools which got such bad publicity, of which one is a brand new free school, have not yet transferred 'ownership'. It is a legal minefield especially with assets transferred to trusts which may be a holding company for a profit organisation. Read David Wolfe QC.

cotwatcher just to be clear - you don't think priority should be placed on those areas that no longer have sufficient provision to at least offer a school place to each applicant.?

You do think that the budget, which is already being topped up (from other school budgets no less), is irrelevant and people who already have sufficient school places in their area should be given more choice if they submit their application before those in areas where there are no longer enough school places?

Or read Laura McInerney, who actually supports the principle of free schools but is critical of their implementation.

'in the US, Carondelet contracted with AQS for just five years. In England, once a school joins a multi-academy trust, it has no legal way to extract itself – even if the trust's services are inadequate.'

They will convert to academy status

You are correct that VA schools that convert to academy status can keep their existing admissions policy. An independent school converting to a free school is also not subject to the 50% cap. This has not stopped the Catholic church preventing St Mary's College, Crosby converting from an independent school to a free school.

Note that the Catholic church has recently toughened its policy on this. There are two Catholic free schools in existence, set up prior to the change.

So you may be correct that these schools will become academies. However, given events in Crosby, I would not be certain about that until it happens.

Gove didn't go to Eton.

"Note that the Catholic church has recently toughened its policy on this"

Yes, that was around the time they appointed the new director I referred to in an earlier post.

It'll be interesting to see who wins that particular stand-off - will the DfE cave in under pressure and remove the cap? Many people would like to see the next Government will go further and extend the cap to all schools, but it would be resisted by the bishops in the House of Lords

eddiemairswife Sorry, your right, he went to Robert Gordon's College. A doh moment.

Although I don't think David Cameron is much of an advert for the school.