| Topic: | Re:No to West London Free School,,,,, | |
| Posted by: | Toby Young | |
| Date/Time: | 18/11/09 02:22:00 |
| You evidently haven't noticed that I've replied to some of these points already in this forum. But just to nip this one in the bud: 1. There's no disputing there's going to be a need for more secondary school places in Ealing over the next ten years -- that's a given. If you're really interested in crunching the data -- which we have -- it's all available on the web. 2. You clearly don't have much grasp of the rules and regulations surrounding Academies. Bottom line: You can only secure a Funding Agreement with the DCSF for a new Academy if you can demonstrate a need for more secondary school places in your are over the next ten years. That is, you can't get the money if there's any danger that you'll take students away from existing schools, thereby jeopardizing their financial well being. The money for a new Academy comes out of a fund the Government has set aside to pay for Academies; it does not come from the money the DCSF allocates to Local Authority-run schools in the area the new Academy is being set up in. In short, no funds will be diverted from existing schools in Ealing to set up our school. Not a single penny. 3. The West London Free School will be bound by the local and national admissions code. This is a lengthy document, but if you're really interested in the subject, you can buy a copy here: http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/education/bookstore.asp?FO=1205046&DI=611594&trackid=002488 4. The Steering Committee are all giving up huge chunks of time to work on this for no reward other than the satisfaction of creating a new, high-performing secondary school that will be open to every child in the area. We don't even have a guarantee that we'll get our own children into the school -- they'll be subject to the same admissions criteria as every other applicant. In light of this, I think it's unfair of you to dredge up all these personal details about us in the hope of discrediting our project. Play the ball, Iain. Not the man. If you're genuinely concerned that our school won't be inclusive enough, why not suggest ways in which we could remedy that? We already have a member of our team working on EMAS (Ethnic Minorities Achievement Service) to ensure our students who speak English as a second language are adequately supported, but we'd welcome any other suggestions you might have. There might even be a place for you on our Steering Committee. But be warned: Some creep will probably dredge up lots of embarrassing details about you and post them on this site. |