Stories + Views: Free Schools

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Sarah Dodds: “Sharper axes, lower taxes”

Clearly, Gove is just not right wing enough. This report has been welcomed by Tory MPs. Chilling. These are its conclusions:   Government spending is over 50 per cent of national income. Spending grew steadily in the twentieth century and then experienced very rapid growth from the beginning of the 21st century. • Much government spending discourages economic activity and prevents innovation and competition in crucial sectors such as health ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The report was written by the Institute of Economic Affairs who is a free market think tank. The IEA claimed that an opinion poll conducted by ComRes for the IEA shows “overwhelming public support for a much deeper programme ......"

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Allan Beavis: What Katherine Birbalsingh has in common with George Bush

Katherine Birbalsingh has posted a bizarre Telegraph blog in response to Fiona Millar’s piece on Academy chains in Monday’s Guardian Firstly, the comparison between a US President giving reasons to launch a war of terror and a journalist writing about the very real possibility of for-profit making companies running schools is so far-fetched and fabricated that it would be merely ridiculous ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Allan Beavis: "The debate on profit-making companies running schools and the impact this will have on influencing and exerting education policy is a very important one. The issue has been hinted at by Michael Gove, raised on a number of posts here ......"

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Fiona Millar: The Local Schools Network goes head to head with the New Schools Network

This morning I took part in a debate with the New Schools Network's Rachel Wolf on the BBC's Woman's Hour. It was the second time in the past month that Rachel and I have crossed swords on the issue of free schools and the part they will play in the English education system. Last time was for a longer discussion ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by thechandra: "Is thrre a way I can contact you to ask where you got this data from about Dorothy stringer v Patcham. V interesting and confirms my observations about schools downgrading SEN and diverting SEN funds (including statemented funds) to ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Steiner schools “repudiate” their founder’s racist beliefs to get state funding — but will it be enough?

Steiner schools, covert proponents of the nutty mystical philosophy "Anthroposophy" are pressing hard for state funding. As I've already reported on this site, Steiner schools are private "alternative" schools who were founded by an Austrian mystic, Rudolph Steiner, at the turn of the twentieth century. They present themselves today as trendy, progressive schools who welcome parents with alternative views. However, ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Charlie: "You are clearly biased against Steiner proabably due to fear...."

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Janet Downs: Socio-economic disadvantage has negative impact on pupil performance – what can be done?

There is a strong relationship between a school’s socio-economic background and the achievement of pupils says data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This is what the OECD discovered about the UK: “The proportion of students in disadvantage is much lower in the UK than that of OECD countries in general.” Nevertheless, “socio-economic disadvantage has ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Keith Turvey: "No Janet I agree. It would take a strong government to do this but maybe in this new era of discredited media moguls????? I know I'm an idealist. Labour I feel got close with their code on admissions. It was ......"

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sarah: Whatever happened to the James Review?

On 8 April Sebastian James produced his extremely overdue report on schools capital (having originally promised an interim report in September 2010 and final report in December. So far the government have made absolutely no response to it - nor undertaken any consultation with local authorities or schools about its contents. Here we are in July 2010 with absolutely no ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Toby Young was the most entertaining speaker at the Policy Exchange conference although for most of the time only his shoulder and one whirring hand were visible. His description of his attempt to lease a school from the Saudis ......"

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Tracy Hannigan: Ever enlightening FoIA responses

I have finally gotten around to updating the PACS website with the flurry of Freedom of Information Act Responses we have received recently. Some highlights of interest: The first comments of interest were found within the refusal we received from the DfE for copies of correspondence between Rivendale and the DfE. The first bits of the refusal have ... read more and comment →

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Claire: Mike Harwood’s poem, to be published in the collection ‘KJV Old Text New Poetry’, is a moving riposte to the free school policy.

Ode to Free Schools (after Frank O’Hara) The education charity ARK, founded by a financier, is spearheading the proposed academy in Wandsworth. In the City We shall have everything we want multitudinous nannies in our nappy valley and no more paying private school fees for the symbol of our new Academy will acknowledge vulgar materialism and we will fill our insatiable privileged classrooms with pupils from Honeywell High View Belleview we ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "A Clerihew: The Secretary of State for Ed Vigorously nodded his head “I’ll turn the lot into fools, With my radical reforms for schools!”..."

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Francis Gilbert: Festival of Education report: Toby Young unleashes a blizzard of statistics but loses the moral argument

“So you’re on our side, are you, Francis?” Toby Young said to me in the sunlit garden of the headmaster’s lodge at Wellington College, which is hosting The Sunday Times Education Festival. It was the first time I’d met him face-to-face, although he and I have been corresponding through blogs and emails for some time. Toby has been following the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Adrian - it's funny you should say that in 2000 the PISA scores were condemned as rogue results at the time and were only used by ministers (presumably Labour ones to show how brilliant UK pupils performed when Labour were ......"

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Allan Beavis: The Teachers’ Strike won’t compromise our children’s education or incovenience our lives – but Gove’s policies certainly will

Michael Gove set himself on a direct collision course with teachers this morning when he appeared on the Andrew Marr show to denounce this week’s strike action, claiming that such militancy would inconvenience thousands of working families, especially single mothers, and that teachers risked a loss to their reputations if they went ahead with it. This is the latest of a ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "O Spencer - You're correct that last week's strike comprised only NUT, ATL and a small number of civil servants. But that's because the other unions haven't balloted yet. There may have been a low return of voting ......"

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