New free schools plans unveiled: VOTE

PLANS FOR two new free schools have been announced—which could divert 2,700 pupils and millions of pounds from state education in Rotherham.

Yorkshire Nationwide Schools wants to create new campuses for 1,350 youngsters between four and 18 in both Dinnington and Maltby.

Using Rotherham Borough Council figures of 20 pupils equalling a funding loss of about £100,000, the move could cost the council £13.5 million a year if both were fully subscribed.

Rotherham NUT slammed the announcement, labelling it a direct attack on existing schools and calling on councillors to speak up in opposition.

YNS chief executive John Morahan—who launched the Three Valleys free school proposal in Manvers—said that they were aiming for lessons to start in September 2013.

He said: “The procedures have changed since Three Valleys and to aim for 2012 openings we would only have about four weeks to get the evidence we need.

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“A lot depends on how you define ‘needed’ but, looking at performance and achievement, we feel they are.”

Mr Morahan claimed that using the English Baccalaureate exams result model—C grades or better at five core subjects—some of the 2010 statistics were “astonishingly poor.”

A major criticism of free schools is that the competition will further damage, rather than encourage, existing ones.

Mr Morahan said: “People have every right to that view, but these levels of failure have been consistent for many years.

“I agree with the underlying logic of some of the criticisms. But we will never employ unqualified teachers, we are completely non-selective and no trustees will be able to take money from the schools.”

Committee spokeswoman Jill Adams said that Rotherham NUT was appalled to hear of the plan for free schools in Dinnington and Maltby.

She said: “Free schools are deliberately set up to weaken the public sector by the Tories, who are committed to free market ideology.

“These schools divert essential funds from the state sector. For example, within months of the general election, £100 million was taken from the ICT budget for state schools and given to any company with a notion of providing an ‘education.’

“This particular company wants to base its education on grammar school principles and yet the grammar school system was elitist and failed many children and young people from ordinary backgrounds.”

She added: “This is why teachers led the fight for a comprehensive system which, once set in place, dramatically improved the number of exam passes and therefore the life chances of the many talented and intelligent young people.

“For the same reason teachers are opposed to ‘free schools.’ If we look at common practice in other free schools, they tend to offer a restricted curriculum and employ a larger number of unqualified staff and use restrictive admission policies.

“There is certainly no evidence to say that free schools can offer a better education and the motivation for establishing schools is often unclear until the accounts are looked at.”