Jun 24 2010
Free Schools – New Government Policy
The new coalition government is bringing in new legislation to help parents and other groups to set up their own new schools which are publicly funded but free from local government control. The educational model follows similar models in Sweden and America. More information on free schools can be found by clicking the links below
Department of Education Information on Free Schools
Directgov Information on Free Schools
This appears on the face of it to be an opportunity for parents to have more choice about where their children are educated.
It is too early to say whether it offers a real alternative for schools facing closure proposals by a local authority. There is a long waiting list of groups wishing to set up their own free schools currently. It does show that the new government are open to giving more choice (and responsibility) to parents and is worth exploring further. A charity called the New Schools Network is involved in helping groups with their applications but unfortunately their site is not accessible at the moment because of the high demand breaching their current bandwidth arrangements!
My only concern is that the scope for funding free schools will be limited under the current economic climate and it may take money away from the maintained schools system thus causing more problems for smaller schools. This situation needs to be monitored closely over the coming months and years.
This topic needs a watching brief for now.
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