Free school causes problems for established secondary

Janet Downs's picture
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Beccles Free School, which has been given approval by the Department for Education (DfE) to open in 2012, is already causing problems for a nearby academy – the only other secondary school in the area. Sir John Leman High, in the small market town of Beccles, Suffolk, has been planning for scheduled expansion for years. It was expecting to take over a soon-to-be-vacant middle school to house its larger number of pupils.

But the building is likely to be allocated to the free school. Mr Rowe, the head of Sir John Leman High, was reported in the TES as saying, “I have nowhere to put my new intake without that building. I may as well drop them off at the DfE and let them deal with it.”

The free school has the potential to cause even graver problems for Sir John Leman High – it could threaten its existence. The newly-converted academy is a successful school with a good reputation. It offers a wide curriculum and a sixth-form. But the projected number of pupils in the area is falling. There is no need for two secondary schools.

Mr Rowe told the TES that the reduction in pupil numbers will affect both schools. Either both will be half empty, with a knock-on effect on the range of subjects offered, or one would have such a small intake it would become unviable. The local authority has no power to close either school – only the Secretary of State could do that. But which one would face the axe?

 
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Comments

Adam's picture
Sun, 04/03/2012 - 19:34

Now Gove's special adviser has started using smear tactics to discredit opponents of the Beccles Free School. You couldn't make it up.

http://blog.hargrave.org.uk/2012/03/beccles-big-society-and-free-school....

Rebecca Hanson's picture
Sun, 04/03/2012 - 23:05

More information -
Senior DFE adviser Sam Freedman makes a constructive and intelligent contribution to the debate:
http://blog.hargrave.org.uk/2012/03/beccles-big-society-and-free-school....

Here's an Any Questions from Beccles - the discussion about free schools starts just after 25 minutes:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01cks58

Adam's picture
Fri, 09/03/2012 - 07:16

The local Conservative M.P. has come out strongly in opposition to Beccles Free School. Is he the first Tory M.P. to break ranks in this way?

http://blog.hargrave.org.uk/

Arsinh's picture
Mon, 12/03/2012 - 21:01

Gove's special adviser Sam Freedman is in hot water over his Beccles Free School smears:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/mar/12/academies-twitter-civil-...

Tell it like it is's picture
Tue, 20/03/2012 - 20:44

The free school is an excellent idea, having had many dealings with the academy in many forms and now being a parent myself I would definitely like the choice of where to send my child in their home town when it comes to secondary education, as I would not be sending mine to the Leman Academy (I would rather teach them myself at home).
The reason the academy has such a problem with the free school is that they are angry over loosing the site and worried that their fall in numbers will mean less money for their school. There is no real indication that they are concerned for pupil welfare and educational well being. The academy with large numbers in a small building only appears to give rise to disruption, chaos, bullying and disorganisation. Not a pleasant place of any new pupil to go into or for pupil to try and learn in.
If they want to keep their large numbers then I would suggest that they concentrate on improving their own reputation (as it is not as good as Mr Rowe suggests it is) and stop slandering the free school.

James Hargrave's picture
Tue, 20/03/2012 - 20:59

I don't see how you can slander something that doesn't exist!

I was fortunate to visit the school personally recently and I do not recognise any of what you suggest as "disruption, chaos, bullying and disorganisation". The school was well organised, calm and ordered. The school had an Ofsted inspection in November 2011 and again none of this was noted.

I would be happy to send my children to Sir John Leman High School if it was my local school but if you do not want to there are around 6 other schools not that far away for you to choose.

Sir John Leman have not "lost any site" that they wanted, I think you have mis-understood. They wanted (and have got) the Middle School site just for two years and they won't have a need for it after that time as their roll will fall due to Pakefield High.

A fall in numbers does indeed mean less money but in order to care about pupil welfare and educational well being you need money to pay for staff. The concerns are that as a consequence of having less money the Skills Centre and the Sixth Form are under real threat. Indeed the school itself might not survive.

I have no idea why people imagine a small town like Beccles can support two secondary schools - would you care to give examples of other similar sized towns that manage this?

Tell it like it is's picture
Tue, 20/03/2012 - 21:31

Having attended the school myself, and knowing current pupils at the school I do know of the 'disruption, chaos, bullying and disorganisation'. There are several current pupils being seriously bullied and although it has been brought to the attention of the school it is not being dealt with or taken seriously.
Beccles is not the small town that it once was, I would not put the falling numbers down to the size of the town but down to the fact that less and less people are choosing to send their children to the Leman academy. I will again reiterate the fact that if Mr Rowe is concerned about the effect that Pakefield Seondary and the Free school may have on his pupil numbers, then he will have to work very hard to make the Leman appealing. After all it is up to the prospective parents and children as to where they want to go and they will choose the one that they will feel will give them the best education.

James Hargrave's picture
Tue, 20/03/2012 - 21:55

The numbers at Sir John Leman are expected to be lower due to Pakefield. Nobody is concerned about this it was planned for. The school can cope with this.

The "fact" you quote that "less and less people are choosing to send their children to the Leman". Where did you get that idea from? It's the free school that nobody wants to send their children to with only 86 applicants across three year groups. Just 35 for Year 7.

"Beccles is not the small town it once was?" It has around 9000 people in it, maybe 14000 if you include Worlingham. No town that size can support two secondary schools, one with a sixth form. The population is fairly stable.

It is difficult to deal with an anonymous bullying allegation on a forum like this.

If the free school opens there is every chance that Sir John Leman's Sixth Form will close taking with it the choice for parents as well as the Skills Centre.

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