for-profit schools

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Francis Gilbert: #Online schools: are they the future? Fiona Millar speaks out in this video…

This is a complicated issue but there's no doubt it should be seriously thought about; could 'online schools' become established as a significant part of the educational sector in the coming years? While it may be easy to scoff at the idea, I can see how in poor countries, where schools are not established as bricks and mortar, online schools ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The idea that pupils can be taught in refurbished office blocks is presented as a brave, exciting new world. But it's difficult to see how pupils can do scientific experiments using real chemicals (rather than just an on-line simulation), ......"

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Melissa Benn: Mixed messages from Sweden

An interesting insight into developments in Swedish education when I participated yesterday in a seminar on Swedish free schools and their continuing impact on Britain's education, hosted by the Swedish embassy. As LSN readers will recall, Michael Gove made much of the success of Sweden’s free schools prior to the 2010 election; as Rachel Wolf, CEO of the New Schools ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Campbell Live Reflections « The Daily Blog: "[...] Also something to consider is “other evidence on free schools indicates growing social and ethnic segregation, and intensifying issues regarding admissions”  Source  [...]..."

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Fiona Millar: Academy chains may be no more than private local authorities, without the accountability

For anyone who doesn't read Guardian Education, I am linking to my piece today which looks at how academy chains work. I have spent several weeks visiting chains, talking to people who work for them, reading their accounts on the Charity Commission website and it has proved illuminating. Firstly because it confirmed my suspicions that, far from being autonomous, academies in ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Allan Beavis: "What I found most chilling in Fiona Millar’s excellent report in the Guardian was the realisation that, with so many schools being handed over to the tight control of a handful of Edu chains and much responsibility devolved away from ......"

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Allan Beavis: The dangerous liaison between free schools and for-profit making organizations is landing on our shores

This site has recently debated the desirability of for-profit making companies in the running of schools, (state maintained or private) and litigation taken by schools against the companies running them may be the American Nightmare - but it may well have already landed on our shores. Days after the publication of James Croft’s Report for the Adam Smith Institute recommending that ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Jen: "Awkward moment when you go to this school and now you find all this hate about it......"

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Francis Gilbert: The current set up for Free Schools is a complete disaster – even an openly “for profit” system would be fairer

Allan Beavis's last excellent post raised this issue. Janet Downs, a brilliant LSN blogger, said that she was deeply uncomfortable on the "for profit" idea for schools. I agree, I'm against it on "principle": the moment you start making a profit out of children's education, the pupils become secondary, and cost-cutting, erosion of genuine standards, "commodification" of children's lives and, ultimately, ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by David Lewis: "Wherever you find grammar schools you will also find some the poorest performing schools in the locality. Buckinghamshire, Slough and Kent come to mind. What this shows is that selective education does not benefit everyone. You are right about Buckinghamshire ......"

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Francis Gilbert: New research claims to show “for-profit” schools are great, but can it be trusted?

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) new research publication, Schooling for Money: Swedish Education Reform and the Role of the Profit Motive looks at the role of for-profit schools in Sweden and for the first time attempts to provide valid quantitative evidence regarding how these schools perform. The results claim to show that the competition that drove improvements in the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rob Billson: "Its easy to cherry pick evidence that supports ones prejudices. Some evidence from Sweden appears to support for profit schools, although educational outcomes in Sweden are only a bit better than the UK. The Finnish education system produces the best ......"

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