Government free schools ‘creating unnecessary places’

The National Union of Teachers yesterday said that one-in-five of the free schools due to open 
in September will be in areas where the local authority expects to have at least 10 per cent too many places in the next three years.

Boulevard Academy is expected to open in Hull this year and will accept 120 pupils every year. Hull is forecasting a 27.9 per cent surplus of secondary places for the academic year starting September 2016.

NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: “Instead of local authorities being funded to address the primary place shortage that is gripping many parts of the country, some councils are instead facing a growing and excessive surplus of unnecessary secondary school places because the Secretary of State has approved new secondary free schools in local areas in which there is demonstrably no need.”

Free schools are funded by the Government but are outside local authority control and can be set up by parents or other groups unhappy with what is available in their areas.

Seven free schools have already opened in Yorkshire and Ministers have approved proposals for a further seven.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “The majority of open mainstream free schools are in areas with the greatest pressure on places. More than two-thirds of those planning to open from 2013 and beyond will also be in areas of basic need.

“We have always been clear that we want free schools to open where there is a demand from the local community – whether that is down to basic need or because existing schools do not offer what parents want.”

A recent study by the National Audit Office warned that by September 2014 an estimated 256,000 extra primary and secondary school places will be needed to meet demand.