Toby Young is bragging about his "free school" in todays Telegraph. Any independent opinions?

[pattercakes]

I gather Mr Youngs school has be open for about one year. So views should have formed in many quarters

He's also 'consulting' as to whether children of the founders should be given priority places.

It's in the midst of a lengthly consultation document. I expect the answer will be 'yes'.

So, despite his insistence that the WLFS would be non-selective, he's launched plans for it to be within less than a year f its opening.

Great, so he sets up a school for his own and his mates kids funded by the state. I certainly hope all kids will be treated equally once they are in the school.

I had the unfortunate experience of sending my kids to a private school where there were quite a few teachers' kids. My daughter actually overheard one particular teacher discussing how to fix a raffle so that her kids would win!

I am not hugely supportive of free schools, in principle, as I think the money could be put to better use by LEAs in setting up schools.

However, having read some of the admissions threads earlier this year about significant numbers of children receiving no offer of a place whatsoever, I am coming around to the idea that there might be a place for free schools, of a sort.

However, I do loathe the non-inclusive educational nostalgia peddled by Toby Young and Michael Gove, for that matter.

Hullo!

I work in a school not far away. TY's school has not been the resounding, immediate failure that we had been expecting, based on all of the arrogant statements he has been making. Although how we did laugh when they had their first exclusion of the year earlier than us!

However, it is far too early to tell anything, to be honest. I would be waiting until the end of the second GCSE cohort had gone through before you could really judge.

If I had kids of the right age, I'd be desperately trying to get them into Hammersmith Academy. It is stunning and the leadership team are frighteningly good, with a lot of experience behind them. The same cannot be said for TY's school, as rumour has it thhe head there is not exceptional although, obviously, there is not much of a 'leadership team' yet.

Tortu If I had kids of the right age, I'd be desperately trying to get them into Hammersmith Academy.

That's the problem though isn't it? If you don't live close enough to Hammersmith Academy to get in then at least you've got a chance of the TY school because of the lottery element.

I'll be quite happy for my DD to go to the local "good enough" High School but it has a reputation for being a bit too laid back, so we will enter the lottery for the TY school as I think it will push her more.

I don't agree with free schools, I strongly object to church schools (I know, I know, that's another oft repeated thread! ) so we just have to try and do the best we can with what we've got so I will but my DD's name down for a school I object to in principle.

Mothership, not sure where you are and just a thought, but there is an Art Aptitude route at Holland Park and a few schools now select on music aptitude (i.e. not performance) - Chelsea Academy etc.

Thanks Fluffy, I'm in South Ealing, so DD will probably go to Elthorne, I don't think she has much in the way of art or music aptitude (she enjoys her piano lessons, but they are just for fun) but thanks for the tips!

Toby Young is an arsehole.

That is my independent opinion.

Actually, my real independent opinion involves much more swearing. Tosser.

He's trying to justify segregated education for the Guardian reading classes. This scheme destroys the last vestiges of equality among young people and leaves an educational underclass whose schools will always be looked down upon and who will feel even more excluded from achievement than they already did. All hail those parents and teachers who refuse to play the class game and support their local school.

I would have thought his scheme was more aimed at the Telegraph reading classes!

My child goes to a local school which has segregation in the form of streaming from day 1.

Give it a couple of years .... intake of WLFS wil consist of their music scholars, siblings (note well planned and very carefully picked eldest siblings from desirable familie in WLFS's first year) and children of governors with a few places left for token local riff raff ... And all masked as 'non selective' which is total utter bullshit, I don't know how TY gets away with it - bravado and arrogance maybe??

"Great, so he sets up a school for his own and his mates kids funded by the state" I'd be really surprised if Toby Young had enough friends to populate a secondary school, to be honest
In fairness, it does seem to have gone well - but judging from the amount of time TY spends wanking himself off in the public prints, I doubt he's had much to do with it.

I think the original reason TY gave for setting up the school is that there were no suitable secondaries for HIS kids in leafy East Acton. The other founders were people who jumped on the bandwagon. I remember reading an article where he said he was not sure if his own kids would be able to go there because of the distance, but as a poster has pointed out, the founders' kids may well get priority in future.

The proposed school moved from Ealing to Hammersmith because the Tory council there were falling over themselves to support him and even kicked the charities out of Pallinswick House to accommodate him.

Indeed. What spin TY gave whilst, to quote another poster, he was wanking off all over the media and what his actual plans where for the school (in cahoots with H&F council) are two very, very different things.

TY just wanted somewhere for him and his mates to send their kids. End of!!! He says he moved to Hammersmith because Ealing were not being very helpful (Labour verses Tory) but the Ealing site is now being turned into an academy, so it is rubbish to say Ealing didn't want a school there. They did. I think it is too early to say whether or not the WLFS has been a success. I would never send my child there because it is no different to any other selective school despite what TY may say. I think it is shameful that this school has been given such a high profile

I should make clear that I think free schools are a good thing and the fact that one odious little gobshite is cheerleading for them does not, and should not, alter my judgement on that score.
TY is one face of the policy, but here's another, and a distinctly more attractive one I think you'll agree:
www.lighthouseschool.co.uk
If free schools enable parents of kids with ASD to plug the massive gap in provision which currently exists, TY can crow as much as he likes; I'll be very happy.

KKK, while I see your point and obviously in your case it is very positive, for the majority of us in London at least Free Schools are not a good thing. It might interest you to know that funding for vulnerable groups was slashed to fund Toby Young's massive ego trip.

I am aware of at least one case where a London LA has absolved themselves of responsibility to build a new secondary school, which is desperately needed and basically told parents to organise it themselves as a Free School.

Apart from TY's primary school, the other Free School approved in LBHF is a CofE boys school in Fulham as a "brother" school to Lady Margaret. i.e. another school largely selective by social class.

It would be pretty shocking if that was allowed to go ahead, with 2 undersubscribed schools in Fulham, and Chelsea Academy available just over the border, for those who genuinely want a faith school.

Get Down Nesbit- you have stolen my thunder.

I was going to post pretty much the same thing.

(except that my expletive of choice was 'wanker')

Cecily P, I was going to post that we were being a bit unfair as Chelsea Academy Church places prioritise those worshipping in the Kensington and Chelsea deaneries (and the distance ones on those attending RBKC primary schools).

I just had a look on their website (Fulham Boys School) and their proposed catchment area takes in a large chunk of RBKC. They are also directly competing with Hurlingham & Chelsea and Henry Compton, even Holland Park!

www.fulhamboysschool.org/location/

www.fulhamboysschool.org/location/

"It might interest you to know that funding for vulnerable groups was slashed to fund Toby Young's massive ego trip. "
That is one story that was circulated by the detractors of the West London Free School and according to the school (and TY) it's untrue; from my knowledge of how public sector budgets work, which is a good more detailed that I'd like it to be, it sounds like bollocks to me. And if memory serves me right, there were rumbligs about legal action against some of the more enthusiastic muck-rakers against the school, so I'd be cautious about repeating that kind of rumour if I were you.
I always get quite angry when anti-free schoolers try and drag kids with SN in in support of their arguments. LEAs have failed utterly, miserably, comprehensively, at making provision for kids with SN in many if not most cases. If people really cared about SN provision they'd be campaigning about that, not whingeing about power being taken from LEAs via the free school programme.

That's a very fair point, though it remains to be seen whether Free Schools will better meet the needs of children with SEN.

I didn't mention SN kids, in fact Hammersmith has quite reasonable provision compared to other areas. At the end of the day the council has control of the local budget, if they choose to slash local services but lavish money on a free school that is wrong in my view.

It may also interest you to read TY's view on SN kids, which are discussed in another thread on here.

Neither did I whinge about schools coming out if LEA control. I support that quite frankly, but would welcome an overall authority for London, to ensure consistent provision. I think an abundance of schools in one area and none in others is ridiculous.