Beware divisive 'free' schools

21 July 2010

N

EARLY all local education authorities, including Conservative and coalition controlled authorities like Redbridge, do a decent job of running an education service. So I wonder what really motivates the government's desire to throw money into the academies (so called "free" schools) programme?

I wonder if M J Speakman is familiar with the reality of Redbridge schools or indeed any schools. He seems more familiar with some lurid headlines parts of the national press like to provide.

I certainly haven't noticed Redbridge schools exercising the "ideological, dogma driven view" he mentions.

Strangely, much interest in academies, so far, has come from organisations with a particular religious dogma such as those promoting "creationism" instead of teaching evolution.

Academies will set their own admission criteria. So if your child doesn't fit the criteria he or she won't be admitted. No parental choice there! Parents could soon find that a school next door won't admit their child.

It is highly likely that children with special needs - and there are many - will lose out worse than they do at present. Schools will also be exempt from the requirements of the national curriculum. Academies, as envisaged by the government, remain untried.

Would-be academies are required to "consult" but governors don't have to take any notice of findings. There's a loss of local democratic accountability, and I am old fashioned enough to believe this matters. It is bizarre to find the government cancelling much needed school building projects, yet finding £400m for the academies programme at a time of national financial crisis. Academies are being offered cash bribes to start - but will these last? The new "academies" will have their own quango to provide funding - they won't be dealing with the Local Educational Authority.

As the former city technology colleges found out, dealing with a quango was far worse than the LEAs.

Parents and governors need to think very carefully about the implications of academy "status". Setting one up involves a fearsome amount of administrative work that contributes nothing to school improvement. "Free schools" remain untried and likely to divide communities. My advice is stay well away.

ROGER BACKHOUSE

Thorold Road

Ilford