| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Toby's free school on BBC2 tonight | |
| Posted by: | Steve Donnelly | |
| Date/Time: | 04/10/10 18:03:00 |
| It is indeed, although it gives a whole new dimension to the idea of 'the wrong side of the tracks!' I stumbled on the programme by accident, I missed the start, but I did find it interesting. For me, both the strength and weakness of the show was its almost exclusive focus on Toby Young himself: a strength, because one felt one got to know him a little; a weakness, because, whatever the genesis of the local plan, it surely is not to stand or fall on the basis of the ambitions and preferences of one man, however strong his personality. It was clear, however, that the film-makers see the commercial potential of their episodic offerings as being very much based on viewing life through Toby's eyes (as the 'famous' one.) I would be loth to draw conclusions from the programme as to the philosophy or objectives of other members of the WLFS group; suffice to say that, at best, the editing didn't do them any favours in rebutting suggestions of narrowly based self-interest. I came to the view that Toby Young does have good intentions on diversity of intake, but I didn't pick that up from others and, as a teacher pointed out to him, the school will be inundated with applications from affluent parents for whom that agenda is in no sense a priority. I agree with the comments that we never got to the bottom of what the school is for or why it would be a valuable addition to our society (as opposed to a cheap alternative to private school for the urban middle-class.) The tantalising 'to be continued' nature of the ending is what gave me real pause for thought. Just eleven months from now, the WLFS group says it wants to be educating some of our young people. It doesn't have premises (anyone know where the secret 'building that looks like a school' actually is? Hounslow?), therefore all of the other obstacles ahead of it - infrastructure, governance, numbers, head teacher, staff, curriculum - can't be resolved. Yes, it has the political wind in its sails, and that nice Mr Gove is very keen to throw our money at it (while withholding it from a new state school in the north of the borough), but even if one wished the project well - and I don't - it all looks very rushed. Doubtless all will be revealed in due course. |