Free schools: A project cooked up by Tories who claim to be committed to social mobility has failed our children
(This post from Victoria about the closure of 'Southwark Free School', first appeared on LabourList .) Last week saw the demise of yet another free school. Southwark Primary , which opened four-and-a-half-years ago in temporary buildings, will hastily close by February half-term never having made it to its permanent site, after being developed at great public expense. As Southwark council steps in to pick up the pieces and find places for children at other local schools it is difficult not to grind the axe about the government’s free school programme. We remain pragmatic that the programme is here to stay. However the government must reconsider the need for free school applicants to have a local and outstanding educational experience. At a time when many areas are experiencing a shortage of school places, and schools’ budgets are being cut, they must also stop wasting money building schools where there is no established demand. The story of free schools in Southwar...