Half of new primary free schools fail to fill all their places
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Version 0 of 1. Half of the primary free schools scheduled to open this autumn still have unfilled places, despite high national demand for places in reception classes. An analysis of the 26 free schools due to open in September 2014 by the Department for Education shows 13 primaries still had places available – reflecting concerns in some localities about Michael Gove's controversial educational initiative. Other free schools that had been due to launch have struggled to reach the starting line with seven more pushing back their launch for a year, because they failed to secure sites, because they withdrew or delayed opening, and in one case because the DfE abruptly cancelled its permission to open. Labour described the situation as a "damning indictment", while some parents in the areas where free schools were due to open complained of disorganisation and a lack of information. The Department for Education said that it was common for schools to have unfilled places. One free school still trying to fill its places has offered inducements to parents. The Essa Primary School in Bolton is giving away free sports kit and school uniform to encourage applications. The Marco Polo Academy, a high profile bilingual Mandarin-English primary, which was due to be sited in Barnet, north London, was axed by the DfE just before national primary school offer day. The Walthamstow Primary Academy – opening in an area of very high demand – pushed its opening back to 2015 at the earliest after taking applications from parents for this year's entry. Parents who had already applied to the school were told they had to look elsewhere. Five others have delayed opening until 2015 or were awaiting further approval. One school could not be contacted, while one – the Earls Court primary school, part of the West London Free School established by journalist Toby Young, declined to answer repeated enquiries. Eleven of the primary schools said they were full or oversubscribed. Competition for primary places is particularly acute in some parts of the country. London had a record 102,000 applications for reception class places this year, with more than 5,000 children not offered any of their six school preferences. Last year the school census found that the average infant class in England had 27.3 pupils – a figure certain to rise when the 2014 census is completed. Tristram Hunt, shadow education secretary, said persisting with free schools in the face of parents' reluctance made no sense when the country was facing a national crisis in primary school places. "It's a damning indictment from parents that nearly half of the free schools opening in September have reported they are unable to fill their reception classes. This is further evidence that David Cameron's flagship schools policy does not command the confidence of parents," Hunt said. The figures come after a highly critical report on free schools published by the Public Accounts Committee of MPs, which charged that free schools were not being opened in areas of greatest need, and that £240m had been spent opening free school in places with no shortage of classroom places. The recent baby boom – the largest since the 1950s – means that reception class places are at a premium in England. But even a severe shortage of places appears not to be enough to overcome the reluctance of some parents. Sue Fry, a parent in Merton, south London, said she agonised over whether to put her daughter down for a place at a new free school, Park Community School, because it was scheduled to open nearby. "They couldn't tell us basics, like the term dates or when the school day would start and finish, there was no timetable, there were no teachers to talk to. It was too much of a risk," Fry said. Fry was glad she chose not to, because shortly after national offer day last month, the school announced it wasn't able to open in 2014 because the building it wanted to move into would not be ready – forcing frustrated parents to look elsewhere. Natalie Evans, director of the New Schools Network, which supports new free schools, said: "Obviously from a free school's perspective, recruiting pupils is absolutely crucial and the key issue a lot of them find is the delay in having a site approved. Because even for a parent who would love to send their child to a free school, it is a leap of faith. "There are specific difficulties for the first years of free schools. When you look at admissions in the second and third years, that's when you can get a true test of how popular the schools are." One parent offered a place at Whitehall Park School in Islington, north London, opening in September, wrote on the Mumsnet forum: "I have no intention of sending my son to this school. He is not a guinea pig, I will not expose him to life on a building site, with teachers who have not yet been recruited, to a curriculum which may or may not be sensible, into a daily routine that I have no details about, I just won't do that." Inability to find or convert temporary accommodation was the most common reason for schools failing to get off the ground. The Burlington Danes primary academy in west London, part of the successful Burlington Danes academy run by the Ark academy chain, is one of several to delay opening from 2014 to 2015 because of accommodation problems. The Paxton Academy in Croydon is one of the luckier free schools, with the DfE having found it a permanent home. But the site of the new school is currently a piece of wasteland next to a Lidl supermarket, and its first year will be spent in a rugby club. The school is currently advertising for three reception class teachers. But several of the planned free schools have secured sites and received a high number of applications – notably the Cringle Brook Community Primary in Manchester. It opened its doors for the first time in April, five months early, "due to demand". However, the school said it still had places available. A DfE spokesperson said: "Only 20% of all state schools are full, so these figures actually suggest free schools are much more likely to be full than other state schools. That's a great achievement and testament to the success of the free school programme. "Figures taken from a National Audit Office report in December last year also show that the longer a free is open, the more popular it becomes." |