Government defends free school programme

Released 07/09/2010

Education Secretary defends the free schools as critics call the policy 'laughable'

The government has released details about the first ‘free schools' to be set up.

Education Secretary Michael Gove released details about the first 16 free schools, which are state funded but set up by parents, charities and businesses.

Half of the schools are in Conservative-run areas, with seven in Greater London and five being faith schools.

Gove said he was "delighted that so many promising proposals have come forward at such an early stage".

He added: "I hope that many of the projects progressing today will become the first free schools in September 2011.

"This is a challenging timescale, and some groups may decide that it is preferable to open at a later date for practical reasons."

FREE SCHOOL CRITICS

However, despite Gove's optimism, the scheme has had its share of critics, with shadow Education Secretary Ed Balls saying: "It is laughable for Michael Gove to claim that just 16 free schools opening next year exceeds his expectations."

"He has spent the last four months working on a plan for just a dozen schools, while cancelling hundreds of new schools and dashing the hopes of 700,000 children."

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: "It is clear that despite the Coalition Government's attempts to promote the free schools agenda, there is no great clamour for these schools.

"The fact that only 16 have been announced in the first instance, only confirms a recent Ipsos MORI poll which showed that 96 per cent of parents and the public oppose the Coalition Government's free school policy.

"The public has demonstrated once more that it want good local schools run by democratically accountable local councils.

"The Secretary of State suggests that he wants free schools to be engines of social mobility but in many cases the free schools announced so far will only fragment communities and lead to greater social segregation and separation."

The 16 free schools listed are:

Bedford and Kempston Free School, Bedford
The Childcare Company, Slough
Discovery New School, West Sussex
The Free School Norwich, Norfolk
Haringey Jewish Primary School, Haringey
I-Foundation Primary School, Leicester (Hindu)
King's Science Academy, Bradford
Mill Hill Jewish Primary School, Barnet
Nishkam Education Trust, Birmingham (Sikh)
North Westminster Free School (ARK), Westminster (ARK is an existing academy sponsor)
Priors Marston and Priors Hardwick School, Warwickshire
Rivendale Free School, Hammersmith and Fulham
St. Luke's School, Camden (Anglican)
Stour Valley Community School, Suffolk
West London Free School, Ealing or Hammersmith and Fulham
Wormholt North Hammersmith Free School (ARK), Hammersmith and Fulham (to be known as Burlington Primary Academy)

See more news stories like this