Advice please.
sorry for the long post
we live in a small village which has a small primary with excellent results for pastoral care and good in other areas. we are currently one of the last bastions of the three tier system and over the past year or so the process to change to a two tier has begun.
The secondary school in the pyramid that our school feeds into is also an excellent school, by reputation.
when the move to two tier was announced there were a number of parents who threw their teddy's out of the pram and decided that they weren't going to stand for this tragic overbearing government interference in their lives, the prospect of little johnny not having a Bunsen burner in his science class at age 10 was just one step too far!.
The next thing we knew was that some parents had decided the lack of Bunsen burners justified a "need" for a free school (secondary) on the old middle school site competing directly with the existing secondary. The free school has not yet been authorised but the campaign is under way
many are opposed to the children at age 8/9 not moving up to a middle school and staying an extra two years at a school - with excellent pastoral care - which they are very happy at. they are also opposed to their little darlings going to a school of...wait for it....2000 pupils! at age 11. Little johnny clearly cant deal with large numbers of people. The important point here being the existing secondary will have 2000ish pupils because it will be split over two campus'.
Parents, who are supporters if the free school are now making political moves to take their children out of the primary in opposition to the existing pyramid, there are already a surplus of secondary places in the area, if a free school is established then that will be our "local catchment" school and we will therefore have issues over transport to the existing school.
The main drive behind the establishment of the freeschool seems to be "we have the support of our local conservative MP and loads of letters, we even met him once"...well DUH!
my issue is that I havnt seen any evidence that they have presented so far that establishes a genuine need for the free school, there dosnt appear to be any problem that they are actually solving by its conception. I of course cant prove my theory but it does feel like its something that's happening as a little bit of empire building by those who are pushing it forward.
It is of course a matter of opinion and i understand their entitlement to campaign for it but i feel it holds a danger of damaging the existing structure.
I would like to hear from anyone who has successfully campaigned against the building of a free school in their area!
your views please