Decision to drop free school plan welcomed

A DECISION to scrap plans for a new school in South Yorkshire has been welcomed by an MP who had opposed the scheme from the outset.

Earlier this week, the Three Valleys Independent Academy Trust said it would not pursue plans to open a school in Manvers, near Rotherham.

The trust had hoped to take advantage of the Government’s free school policy, which will allow schools to be funded with public cash, but run independently of local authorities.

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But its plan was eventually turned down by the Government, despite being encouraged initially.

John Healey, who represents the Wentworth and Dearne constituency, where the school was due to open, said: “I am pleased the Department for Education has made the right decision in rejecting this bid.

“Our local headteachers and councils have all been united with me in opposition and concern for the damage a new free school would have on existing schools and pupils’ education.

“I want to thank all those who have helped me to properly scrutinise this proposal.

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“The Three Valleys plan was weak from the outset – the company have no experience of secondary education, didn’t prove there was any demand for a new school and couldn’t say how they would do better for our young people than any of the schools we have here already .

“Local GCSE results this year have shown that, yet again, teachers and pupils are working hard and standards are improving.

“But the Government needs to help us to continue to improve. When they got rid of Building Schools for the Future, they scrapped plans to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on schools in Rotherham and Doncaster.

“They were prepared to pump millions into a new free school, but denied this money to our existing schools which are crying out for repair.”