I'll be back, vows founder as Rotherham free school project scrapped

Permission had been granted for the Rotherham Central Free School to start 11 to 16-year-olds from September.

Details of where the school would be based were never revealed and it has now been revealed that the scheme has been dropped

Project founder Charlotte Blencowe said her personal circumstances had changed and she was now living and working in Sunderland, which made it difficult to continue with the plans.

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Ms Blencowe—who stood for the borough council as a Tory in 2010—said: “I believe that it is the right decision to withdraw Rotherham Central from the list of projects approved to open in 2012.

“The Free School Academy Trust and the DfE understand that the significant changes to my professional circumstances since our application was approved mean that opening a new school within the year have proved too great a challenge both personally and for the trust.

“I remain passionate about the need to improve educational standards in my home town of Rotherham and fully expect to revisit the opportunity to improve the life-chances of young people within the area at a later point in my career.”

But the decision has been slammed by Rotherham MP Denis MacShane, who accused the project of being an "ideological fantasy."

He has accused Education Secretary Michael Gove of wasting taxpayers' money on the project.

GOVE SHOULD PAY BACK WASTED FREE SCHOOL CASH . . . See this week's Advertiser.