Stories + Views: Free Schools

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Adrian Elliott: WERE THE 2011 RIOTS CAUSED BY POOR SCHOOLS ?

Both Boris Johnston and the recent report by the Riots Communities and Victims Panel have placed a large measure of blame for last year’s riots on poor schooling. But how far is this a fair or accurate analysis of the causes of the worst civil disturbances for decades. First, the emphasis on schools seems to have led to ... read more and comment →

16 comments

Latest comment by Leonard James: "I'm by no means an expert on this but I'll try and justify my methods as best I can. Being as the school data is expressed as a percentage I don't think parametric tests are suitable - I think we ......"

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Janet Downs: Free schools and academies can, but might not. LA maintained schools can’t, but might want to. More muddle from the DfE over prioritising pupils eligible for free school meals.

“Free Schools and Academies will be able to prioritise pupils from the poorest backgrounds, ensuring they have more opportunities to benefit from innovative approaches to teaching.” So trumpets Schools Minister, Nick Gibb. But Mr Gibb is being a little economical with the truth. According to the new Schools Admission Code says, “Free Schools and Academies may, where their Funding Agreements permit, ... read more and comment →

3 comments

Latest comment by Melissa Benn: "Very interesting indeed Janet. And quite dastardly on the part of the government to, yet again, disallow maintained schools from doing something that appears marvellous - and that works so well in relation to the selective press release - but ......"

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Francis Gilbert: The lobbying scandal has some worrying implications for state schools

The scandal of Peter Cruddas offering access to the Prime Minister in return for eye-watering sums of money has some very disturbing implications for the schools policy being implemented by the Coalition. As we are seeing, private firms, charities and other organisations are taking over the running of many of English schools or setting up their own "free schools". This ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "A Guardian article (link below) raised concern about whether funding of think tanks compromised their alleged independence. This has implications for education - how many of the think-tanks promoting profit-making schools, for example, receive donations from groups likely to ......"

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Angel Garden: Steiner Schools – A License to Discriminate?

Far away on the other side of the world, in a small country called New Zealand, something is happening which should give pause to all those people keen to have Steiner schools publicly funded in the UK. Back in 2009, the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School, a small school in West Auckland, but also the headquarters of that country's Steiner Federation, expelled ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Angel Garden: "Thanks for your comment Rebecca. One interesting thing about Footscray (where the Steiner stream is now closed) is the fact that you had 'straight' parents and 'anthroposophist' parents, in the very same school. Two things that are very clear from ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Can Boris Johnson do for schools what’s he done for bikes?

The London Mayor, Boris Johnson, was playing high politics in The Guardian today when he blamed the poor performance of London schools for the summer's riots. It's complete nonsense -- and he knows it: he barely mustered a credible argument and was totally unable to show that schools are to blame for the civil disorder when 75% of rioters were above ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "It's increasingly being recognised that there needs to be a middle tier between schools and government - the removal of local authority responsibility for schools by through academy conversion leaves a vacuum. However, I don't think that a local ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Is the tide turning now that the Telegraph is celebrating the achievements of local state schools?

I was interviewed a few weeks ago by Julia Llewellyn Smith, a features writer for the Telegraph, who has penned a real rarity these days: an article which points out that the vast majority of state schools are actually rather good. The article may not please all of the followers of this site because it claims that the Free Schools ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Julia Llewellyn Smith: "Thank you very much for flagging the article, Francis. I really enjoyed writing it. On the OECD figures I'd just like to defend myself and say I didn't include those in the article - they were added without my knowledge ......"

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Emma Bishton: COMPASS’ response to the proposal for a free school in Stoke by Nayland

COMPASS (a campaign group of parents and teachers in the catchment for Great Cornard Upper School in Suffolk) has now submitted a report to the DfE outlining our response to the proposal for a free 11-16 school in Stoke by Nayland. The bid for a free school in Stoke by Nayland is one of four secondary school proposals in ... read more and comment →

2 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The DfE guidance to free school proposers hoping to open schools in 2013 asks proposers to "show how you will use ICT...to support the learning and achievement of pupils of varying abilities and needs" (pae 17). The Stoke ......"

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Allan Beavis: Opposition to a Hackney Free School Grows. Join The Campaign

An extremely well chaired and politely conducted meeting took place last week in a library in Hackney, organised by a group of local people opposed to the setting up of a Free School. The driving force behind this Free School is Andeas Wesemann, a financial services professional whose career appears to have profited from extensive experience in brokering deals in ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by John Bird: "It is I believe unfortunate that a combination of personal attack, dogma and political posturing seem to have become more important in the exchanges I have read on this site than the fundamental issue of education. It is little wonder, ......"

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Lilly: WLFS and other HF Secondaries – Intake cohort

I just noticed a FOIA response on the Hammersmith and Fulham FoIA website about Secondary intakes. The question: For secondary schools in H&F, what percentage of entrants were: below Level 4 in English below level 4 in Maths Below level 4 in English and Maths combined? The answer (of those with KS2 results available), in percent arranged as : Did not Achieve 4+ ... read more and comment →

One comment

Latest comment by Anton Daley: "Interesting summary. Value Added data for the 2011 cohort for these schools paints a very interesting picture (obviously WLFS and the new Hammersmith Academy do not feature as yet) and, as Lilly says, when it comes to this cohort ......"

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Tracy Hannigan: School Food Standards in Academies and Free Schools

The food standards for LA maintained schools require low salt, sugar and fatty foods, require increases in vegetables and fresh fruit - and ban fizzy drinks/crisps/sweets in vending machines. The government has exempted Academies from the same school food standards that apply to LA maintained schools, and many are concerned about the result. According to an article in the BBC ... read more and comment →

3 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The Save Our School Food Standards website gives details of the campaign. http://www.sustainweb.org/sos/..."

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