Free school (England)
Encyclopedia
A Free school is a school in England funded by the taxpayer, non-selective and free to attend but not controlled by local authorities. The concept of free schools is based upon a similar model found in Sweden
as well as US charter school
s.
Free schools are part of changes by the Conservative-Liberal-Democrat coalition
following the 2010 general election whereby it will be possible for parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up their own school. Free schools are an extension of the existing Academies Programme. The Academies Act 2010 authorises the creation of free schools and allows all existing state schools to become academy schools. The first 24 free schools opened in autumn 2011.
Free schools will be subject to the admissions code. To set up a free school, groups apply to the Department for Education
. Conservative Education Secretary Michael Gove
said he had ruled out religious fundamentalist groups being able to set up free schools. (Per student) funding is on an equivalent basis with other locally controlled (state maintained) schools. Free schools have latitude for developing a broad and balanced curriculum. They are still subject to Ofsted inspections and are expected to comply with standard performance measures.
Supporters also feel that it will allow parents to have more choice in the type of education their child receives, much like parents who send their children to independent schools do. Many of the first 16 schools have a curriculum or ethos that is currently exclusively (or almost exclusively) available in independent schools at present. Supporters also argue that insisting that all schools are the same implies there is only one 'correct' way to educate children. Rather, they believe that there are many effective methods of education, from which parents should be able to choose using their knowledge of their child.
Critics have argued that the scheme will benefit only middle-class parents with the time to dedicate to setting up a school and that the scheme will divert money away from existing schools; and that if academy status becomes a symbol of success, schools remaining under local education authority control will be seen as second best. The Daily Telegraph describes the National Union of Teachers
(NUT) warning that the policy would "fuel social segregation and undermine local democracy". NUT also say that free schools are neither wanted nor needed based on a survey of a thousand parents.
Paul Carter, a Conservative councillor, has stated that under present funding arrangements, "The more academies and free schools you operate, under the current academy funding arrangements, the less maintained schools would get."
Peter Wilby, writing in The Guardian
, suggests that such schools will be run by private companies rather than parents, teachers and voluntary groups.
A 2010 paper by Rebecca Allen reviewed available research on the Swedish model on which the scheme is based. It concluded, "The econometric evidence on the impact of the reforms suggests that, so far, Swedish pupils do not appear to be harmed by the competition from private schools, but the new schools have not yet transformed educational attainment in Sweden."
announced that 16 proposals for free schools had been given a green light by the Government and were expected to open in September 2011. Five of the schools will be faith school
s: two Jewish, one Evangelical Anglican, one Hindu and one Sikh. The first 16 schools were the following:
Other free schools have subsequently been approved including Bristol Free School
, which will open in September 2011 with a year 7 intake.
In August 2011, the 24 free schools accepted for opening in autumn 2011 was announced:
In addition to the first 16 schools, these include:
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
as well as US charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s.
Free schools are part of changes by the Conservative-Liberal-Democrat coalition
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
following the 2010 general election whereby it will be possible for parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up their own school. Free schools are an extension of the existing Academies Programme. The Academies Act 2010 authorises the creation of free schools and allows all existing state schools to become academy schools. The first 24 free schools opened in autumn 2011.
Free schools will be subject to the admissions code. To set up a free school, groups apply to the Department for Education
Department for Education
The Department for Education is a department of the UK government responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education....
. Conservative Education Secretary Michael Gove
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
said he had ruled out religious fundamentalist groups being able to set up free schools. (Per student) funding is on an equivalent basis with other locally controlled (state maintained) schools. Free schools have latitude for developing a broad and balanced curriculum. They are still subject to Ofsted inspections and are expected to comply with standard performance measures.
Reaction
Supporters of the scheme such as the Conservative Party claim that the scheme would "create more local competition and drive-up standards".Supporters also feel that it will allow parents to have more choice in the type of education their child receives, much like parents who send their children to independent schools do. Many of the first 16 schools have a curriculum or ethos that is currently exclusively (or almost exclusively) available in independent schools at present. Supporters also argue that insisting that all schools are the same implies there is only one 'correct' way to educate children. Rather, they believe that there are many effective methods of education, from which parents should be able to choose using their knowledge of their child.
Critics have argued that the scheme will benefit only middle-class parents with the time to dedicate to setting up a school and that the scheme will divert money away from existing schools; and that if academy status becomes a symbol of success, schools remaining under local education authority control will be seen as second best. The Daily Telegraph describes the National Union of Teachers
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
(NUT) warning that the policy would "fuel social segregation and undermine local democracy". NUT also say that free schools are neither wanted nor needed based on a survey of a thousand parents.
Paul Carter, a Conservative councillor, has stated that under present funding arrangements, "The more academies and free schools you operate, under the current academy funding arrangements, the less maintained schools would get."
Peter Wilby, writing in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, suggests that such schools will be run by private companies rather than parents, teachers and voluntary groups.
A 2010 paper by Rebecca Allen reviewed available research on the Swedish model on which the scheme is based. It concluded, "The econometric evidence on the impact of the reforms suggests that, so far, Swedish pupils do not appear to be harmed by the competition from private schools, but the new schools have not yet transformed educational attainment in Sweden."
Free schools list
In the autumn of 2010, Education Secretary Michael GoveMichael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
announced that 16 proposals for free schools had been given a green light by the Government and were expected to open in September 2011. Five of the schools will be faith school
Faith school
A faith school is a British school teaching a general curriculum but with a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation. It is distinct from an institution mainly or wholly teaching religion and related subjects...
s: two Jewish, one Evangelical Anglican, one Hindu and one Sikh. The first 16 schools were the following:
- ARK Conway Primary Academy, Hammersmith and Fulham
- Bedford and Kempston Free School, Bedford
- The Childcare Company, SloughSloughSlough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
- Discovery New SchoolBroadfield House, CrawleyBroadfield House is a 19th-century villa-style house in the Broadfield neighbourhood of Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. Built in 1830 on the extensive land of the Tilgate Estate south of the small market town of Crawley, it was extended later in the 19th century and converted...
, CrawleyCrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming... - The Free School Norwich, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
- Eden Primary School, Haringey, North LondonLondon Borough of HaringeyThe London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
(Jewish faith school) - King’s Science Academy, BradfordCity of BradfordThe City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
- Leicester Krishna-Avanti Primary School, LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
(Hindu faith school) - Mill Hill Jewish Primary School, BarnetBarnetHigh Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
(Jewish faith school) - Nishkam Free School, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(Nishkam Education Trust, Sikh faith school) - North Westminster Free School, WestminsterCity of WestminsterThe City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
- Priors Marston and Priors Hardwick School, WarwickshireWarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
- Rivendale Free School, Hammersmith and Fulham
- St. Luke’s School, CamdenLondon Borough of CamdenIn 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
(Christian (Anglican) faith school) - Stour Valley Community School, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
- West London Free SchoolWest London Free SchoolThe West London Free School is a British Free School for girls and boys aged 11 to 18. It was co-founded by Toby Young and opened in 2011. As with other Free Schools across the UK, it was set up with the assistance and support of the New Schools Network....
, EalingEalingEaling is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
or Hammersmith and Fulham, (writer Toby Young pioneer, traditional subjects)
Other free schools have subsequently been approved including Bristol Free School
Bristol Free School
Bristol Free School is a Free School that opened in Brentry, Bristol, England in September 2011. It is one of first 24 new Free Schools to open in England., the secondary school has 80 year 7 pupils...
, which will open in September 2011 with a year 7 intake.
In August 2011, the 24 free schools accepted for opening in autumn 2011 was announced:
In addition to the first 16 schools, these include:
- Aldborough E-ACT free school, RedbridgeRedbridge-Places:*London Borough of Redbridge**Redbridge, London, a place in that borough**Redbridge tube station*Redbridge, Kansas City, a neighborhood in South Kansas City, Missouri*Redbridge, Hampshire...
- All Saints Junior School, ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
- ARK Atwood Primary Academy, WestminsterWestminsterWestminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
- Batley Grammar SchoolBatley Grammar SchoolBatley Grammar School is a co-educational school located at Carlinghow Hill in Upper Batley, West Yorkshire, England. The school was founded in 1612 by the Rev. William Lee...
, KirkleesKirkleesThe Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
(long-established independent school) - Bristol Free School, BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
- Canary Wharf College, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- Langley Hall Primary Academy, SloughSloughSlough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
- Maharishi SchoolMaharishi SchoolThe Maharishi School is a non-academically selective school in Lathom, Lancashire, UK.-Description:...
, LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
(in the tradition of the Beatles' guru and yoga) - Moorlands School, Luton, BedfordshireBedfordshireBedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
- Rainbow School, BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
- Sandbach School, CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
- Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy, Enfield
See also
- Education in EnglandEducation in EnglandEducation in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
- Education in SwedenEducation in SwedenEducation in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th...
- List of schools in England
- New Schools NetworkNew Schools NetworkThe New Schools Network is a United Kingdom-registered charity which advises groups of parents or other groups who wish to set up new state-funded, independent schools inspired by similar models in Sweden in the United States...
External links
- Free Schools at the website of the Department for EducationDepartment for EducationThe Department for Education is a department of the UK government responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education....
- Swedish model of 'free schools', BBC News, 20 November 2007