TEACHERS unions yesterday opposed the ‘scandalous’ proposal to pour millions of pounds into hundreds of new privately run free schools.
They were responding to PM Cameron’s announcement of the creation of yet another 49 new free schools now and a further 300 free schools if the Tories get elected.
Cameron made the announcement to coincide with the Policy Exchange report, ‘A Rising Tide: the competitive benefits of Free Schools’, released yesterday.
Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: ‘The NUT does not accept the conclusions of this report.
‘The free school programme was never about creating a “parent led” school revolution but always about handing over public assets and the management of schools to unaccountable academy groups who, if the Conservatives have their way after the general election, will be given free rein to profit from our education system.’
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: ‘It is scandalous that in the context where the Conservative Party is proposing even deeper cuts to funding post the general election, it still plans to pour millions of pounds into free schools.
‘I note with interest that the Secretary of State, Nicky Morgan, when commenting on the Conservative’s free school proposals, stated that post-election a Conservative government would not allow schools to be run for profit.’
Tristram Hunt, Labour Shadow Secretary said: ‘What we have seen in so many of these free schools is falling standards.
‘At IS Reckland Free School in Suffolk, children’s literacy actually went backwards during the course of the year. The existing programme is in real trouble, two weeks ago Durham Free School had to close, again because of falling standards.
‘Parents will be horrified to know that so many of these free schools employ unqualified teachers.
‘The government have raided the budget to build schools in areas of high demand to fund the free schools project.’
Hunt was then asked: ‘We have already got several hundred of these free schools, we have quite a few more in the pipeline. What will Labour do about these free schools which you oppose so strongly?’
Hunt answered: ‘We will keep the free schools that are in existence, we are committed to the pipeline, we don’t agree with all of it.
‘We think stability in education policy is really important. We will end the free school programme when we come in but we remain committed to those which are open, we want them to succeed.’
Meanwhile, Prospects Academy Trust has gone bankrupt. Prospects Academies Trust had six schools at its peak; two in Gloucestershire, three in Devon and one in East Sussex.
It is the first academy chain in the country to fold. A statement on the trust website said that the investment ‘in its current form, was not viable’.
