No money to build as free school plan starts

A group that aims to open its own small secondary school for just 200 pupils in York has been told it will be given Whitehall support in finding "innovative solutions" to convert existing buildings into classrooms.

The York Free School group was formed in response to the Coalition's plan to allow parents and teachers to set up their own state-schools.

It aims to open by 2012 and is looking for support from parents in the Holgate area and a site for the school before submitting plans at the end of this summer.

Campaigners in Kirklees have already submitted their plan for a 900-place secondary in Birkenshaw despite question marks over whether their first choice site – an existing middle school building – will be available.

The Government's vision moved a step closer this week as the Academies Bill was passed by MPs – with six Liberal Democrats rebelling against it – including Bradford East's David Ward.

He said he was concerned about the way the Bill had been rushed through the House of Commons, and that money was to be invested in creating new academies and parent-run schools at a time when school rebuilding projects in Bradford had been frozen by cuts.

"I'm not going to be a serial rebel, but this is one part of the coalition agreement I think we got wrong," he said.

"I believe the coalition is strong enough to deal with the occasional rebellion from MPs who have particular concerns with specific parts of the coalition agreement."

The new legislation will make it easier for community groups to open their own state-school with academy freedoms – regardless of whether the local education authority supports their plan.

The York Free School movement and the Birkenshaw, Birstall and Gomersal Parents Alliance (BBGPA) were invited to Westminster at the weekend along with 33 other groups from across the country who have the most advanced plans for parent-led schools.

Tim Moat, who launched the idea for a state-funded parent-led school in the Holgate area of York earlier this summer, said: "What was made

clear to us is that this is a flagship policy and that we will get

every help from the Department for Education.

"They announced that funding for a new building would be considered,

but only as a last resort.

"The preference, given the lack of public money around, is for adaptations to existing buildings and refurbishment. Innovative solutions will be encouraged."

The York Free School group is now looking to identify a building for their project after deciding against the former carriageworks site which is earmarked for employment use in York Council's local development plan.

Mr Moat, whose nine-year-old son could be among the first intake at the proposed school, said: "We need to look at commercial buildings in the Holgate Park business site and will be asking organisations around the area.

"We have increased the pupil numbers from 150 because we couldn't make that work. We are now looking at 200 but we will still have that

personal style of education which is what we wanted."

The campaigners are urging interested parents to attend their next public meeting at Holgate Methodist Hall, in York, at 7pm on Wednesday, August 4.

Independents to be the norm

The education reforms which have been rushed through Parliament will lead to both a new generation of parent-led schools and a rapid expansion of academies.

As part of the Academies Bill, schools which are rated as outstanding will be automatically pre-approved to opt out of local council control and run themselves independently with funding directly from Government.

Education Secretary Michael Gove wants independently-run schools to become "the norm."

In Yorkshire 51 outstanding schools and 44 others have so far expressed an interest.

The Academies Bill was rushed through the Commons in order to allow schools to convert to academy status from September.