What kind of building will your free school be in?

[kittya]

Ours is going to be in a couple of prefabs and its putting people off applying to go!!

[kittya]

What if three hundred apply? How do they choose just one hundred? I don't think that having a goal to go to uni is such abad thing tbh. Although I imagine it will be pretty strict if thatvis it's goal. I think that once these pupils get to uni age there will be more available scholarships/sponsorship like in the States

[kittya]

What if three hundred apply? How do they choose just one hundred? I don't think that having a goal to go to uni is such abad thing tbh. Although I imagine it will be pretty strict if thatvis it's goal. I think that once these pupils get to uni age there will be more available scholarships/sponsorship like in the States

[lalalonglegs]

I'm sure they don't say "We want/expect every student to go to university", it's probably something like: "We want to give every student the chance to go to university". As regards what will happen if it is oversubscribed, they will have an admissions policy that decides how children will be selected: distance/siblings/looked after children/feeder schools.

[kittya]

what are your opinions?

www.mcauleycollegeacademy.org.uk/

[Talkinpeace]

Nothing in there about WHO is setting it up
their track record, experience, reasons

bargepole a not with touch

[kittya]

seriously? its a horrible situation to be in if your child is getting to that age. What if it ends up being fantastic and you end up kicking yourself? Its true though, they dont even mention who the headmaster will be and it opens in September!

[Talkinpeace]

Kittya
If it turns out fantastic, so be it.
But if they are not proud enough of their background to name the head teacher, the chair of governors and at least one head of department they are either deluded or disorganised.

NB DS is in year 6 waiting to hear whether he has got into the good school that DD is at or our dumping ground catchment academy.

[kittya]

It's so strange that they can't give names. Maybe in afew years time it will be fine. I can't imagine any of my friends children wanting to commit to staying at school till five or playing an instrument until sixteen don't forget going in on a weekend as well!

[MrsAlanKey]

I don't know much about education but it sounds like whoever wrote the website knows even less. I found it really offputting. No info about the head, or any teachers, or the govenors or if there is any support staff. The length of the school day is sketchy as is the 'summer school' and saturday school. Is triple science offered? How many languages and what are they? What opportunities are there for sport? Which instruments and who has to pay for them? What is going to happen in 2013 when they are kicked out of the 'state of the art' facilities they are borrowing from the other school? Do they actually have a Latin teacher in place or is that all pie in the sky? Will the length of the school day limit other opportunities for out of school such as being in a choir or orchastra or team that trains straight after the conventional school day ends.

The wanting every child to go to university as the main aim is bollocks. Anyone who would pick a school based on that will be instilling that belief at home anyway.

All schools want there dcs to do well, contribute to society and have fullfilling careers, they all want good discipline and 'high standrds of effort' so what is this school going to do differently to achieve this? Its all just words.

[kittya]

The birch??

[mumoverseas]

reading with interest as a few days ago DH got quite excited about a new school that is opening up near our home in September. Apparently the class sizes will be around 16 and there is no catchment area so I struggle to see how that will work. If it is that good surely everyone will apply?

[AMumInScotland]

Having read through it, it's certainly not somewhere I would have wanted to send DS at that age (or any age!). Long school days, compulsory daily homework, compulsory everything really! I think they are playing on parents fears that "ordinary" schools are a terrible place, with poor behaviour and low expectations and this is their one chance to send their little darling to somewhere with strict rules and very high academic expectations. I doubt the fact that it's in prefabs will be the main problem for most parents, there's lots more worrying things than that.

I think the only thing you'd be getting that you don't get elsewhere is a lot of extra pressure on the parents to enforce homework and uniform, and a lot of threats to expel any pupil who doesn't conform. Which is fine if you want to turn out drones, but not that great at creating rounded human beings.

And I say that as the sort of parent who might be their target group - educated, professional, concerned about how her DC would do in a "rough" school.

[Talkinpeace]

DH - who visits lots and lots of schools every year - reckons the people setting up free schools will be opinionated egomaniacs and that without a sound educational raison d'etre they will fold rapidly.

[kittya]

I'm wondering if it's the parents who's children are in private school that will be more interested

[AMumInScotland]

Possibly - there may be a market for parents who are struggling to afford private, but want that same kind of focus on behaviour and uniform and homework which some private schools have.

[kittya]

I would say so. It just sounds abit to full on.

[feynman]

I think it will depend on who's running it and what their intentions are. It sounds like the school next door will be heavily invloved initially, and if done for the right reasons with the right people I see no reason why it will not be a good option for the right students.
I think that will be the key, given the way it is being sold it sounds like it may well be somewhere I would consider taking my daughter but not somewhere I would condisder sending my son.
It may well be the nearest thing to a private school there is but without having to pay- which is great in theory, providing it's being run by educators. My worry would be the fact that it is beyond lea control mean's that they can pretty much do what they want.
Given the way in which it is being sold, they look like they want to cater for very acedemic pupils so I wonder whether they will be selctive? I would also have concerns over things like sen provisision etc.

It may be great but then again......

[kittya]

very difficult one. Its a risk, isnt it? and, if your child wasnt happy there god knows what the alternative would be. The school next door is getting more difficult to get into.

[kittya]

Still no sign of a headmaster!! I wonder how long they can leave it?

[NotRocketSurgery]

what recompense will I get if I send my child to this lovely school and he/she doesn't get a place at Uni?

will you throw my child out if they decide in year 9 that they don't want to go to Uni after all?

[NotRocketSurgery]

Children with a statement of special education need or who are look after by the local authority will have first priority.

 Selection will be by random allocation?we do not select any of our students based on any form of ability or aptitude testing

so they reckon they can get all children with a statement up to the standard for University - presumably including the social / life skills to cope with Uni. Impressive

if their parents were, erm, "special" enough to send them there of course

[kittya]

Id love to know if there has been much interest.