Parents pledge to push free schools projects

Separate campaigns in Bradford, Leeds and York are all determined to create their own schools working under the Department for Education’s (DfE) tougher selection criteria.

Despite free schools being a flagship policy of the coalition Government so far only one project, the West London Free School, has been given final approval to open this September.

The man leading the campaign to open that school, journalist Toby Young, has warned that parents will find it virtually impossible under the new system.

Anyone wanting to open free schools from 2012 will now be asked to produce detailed reports demonstrating parental demand, the type of education their school will provide along with evidence of their own “capacity and capability”. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by panels of DfE officials, financial experts, education advisers, head teachers and organisations with a track record of setting up and running schools.

Far from being discouraged by these arrangements, however, three campaign groups in the region told the Yorkshire Post they welcomed knowing exactly what they needed to achieve.

A group of parents who wanted to set up their own small secondary school to serve 200 pupils in the Holgate area of York had their bid rejected by Ministers last month. Now they have decided to relaunch their campaign for a free school serving the entire city.

Their new plan is for the Lindley Murray School, named after the author of books on English grammar who lived in York. It would aim to have a specialism in communication.

Campaigner Tim Moat said the group was now looking for an existing state school to work in partnership with. He said: “We are mindful of the excellent reputation York schools have built up and I want to stress that our proposal is not, in any way, intended as a criticism of the good work York Council and its education department has put in over the years. But we feel that York’s rich and diverse education offer can be extended and made even better with a parent-led school which provides extra choice and something different.

“The DfE policy encourages innovation and we believe that by having the right working relationship, the Lindley Murray School could be a model free school for the rest of the country.”

Campaigners for the Bradford District Free School are also looking forward to working under the new system. The plan is being led by a group of teachers from the city who want to open a school in a converted mill building to celebrate Bradford’s heritage and give pupils a sense of pride in the city. The group is in talks with the owners of Douglas Mill in Bradford, currently leased to NHS Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust which faces the axe in 2013.

Project leader Gerard Liston said: “We are undaunted, we are still pressing ahead, having been encouraged by feedback from DfE and New School Network. We have a great team of teachers that has been guided by local politicians and education leaders and also has strong backing from local employers.”

Mr Liston said one of the key goals would be to ensure that it produced school leavers who were equipped with the ability to fill skills gaps that exist in the Bradford economy. The school also wants to encourage students to stay in Bradford to work and contribute to the city’s economy and regeneration.

This vision has been backed by Michael Rollins, a director of Eido which owns Douglas Mill, who said: “I personally fully support the ambitions of the Bradford District Free School. Its emphasis on the young people of Bradford being critical to the town’s future prosperity is spot on.” However he said the firm was also committed to its relationship with Bradford and Airedale PCT or a future successor.

Plans for a Jewish secondary in Leeds are also set to be submitted under the new free school application system. The bid is being led by Brodetsky Primary - a state-funded Jewish school in Leeds. Its head teacher Jeremy Dunford said the high number of their parents who sent children to King David, a Jewish Orthodox School in Manchester, once they left Brodetsky showed there was demand for a Jewish faith secondary school in Leeds. It aims to start with one intake of 25 Year Seven pupils.