The Live Wire



Press Release

Free schools applications

20 June 2011

Commenting on the announcement that there have been 281 applications to open Free Schools in the last quarter, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said:

“The fact is, in the first round of applications there were 323 applications but only 41 were approved and one of these has dropped out. I think Michael Gove should not be boasting about numbers when it is quite apparent that the quality of these bids is poor, with the majority being rejected.

“Of course the schools approved are opening in less than a year. They are doing so because they are not subject to the normal controls such as planning and building regulations that would be in place for a regular state school. There has also been a disproportionate amount of help and investment of resources into supporting these few schools by the 100 DfE staff in the Free Schools unit and goodness knows how many Partnership for Schools staff working on finding and funding of Free Schools premises.

“It is shameful that at a time of huge cuts the Government is squandering public money on a few 'trophy schools'. It should be concentrating on supporting existing state schools which educate the overwhelming majority of pupils, not wasting scarce resources on a few schools which only a tiny minority of pupils will benefit from.”



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National Union of Teachers

National Union of Teachers

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