A Freedom Of Information request has revealed that Michaela Academy, a secondary free school due to open in a disused College of North West London building, in September 2014, has received only 50 1st preference applications for the 120 places available.
In addition to 46 first preferences from Brent there were a further 4 from Harrow. Applications naming the school but not as first choice came from Croydon, Ealing, Harrow and Hillingdon.
The school, the creation of Katharine Birbalsingh, who lost her previous job when she spoke about children in her then school at a Tory Party Conference, had tried to set up in two other London boroughs but was firmly told it was not wanted.
The building the school is due to occupy, Arena House, opposite Wembley Park station, is rumoured to need its asbestos removed. There is no evidence of any work being carried out and some windows have been left open which allows pigeons access. It is rather a sad sight.
With the recent revelations that free school costs are twice as high as predicted, some free school opening with very few pupils, free schools employing unqualified teachers and free school heads walking out after 6 months in the job, it is legitimate to ask, with only 46 first preference applicants, whether Michaela is viable.
An objective Department for Education would subject any further expenditure to stern scrutiny. However as after her Tory Conference appearance Birbalsingh is Michael Gove's darling and a favourite of the Tory Right, that seems unlikely. Brent Council certainly establish whether the money could be better spent and make their views known to the DfE.
The 120 places are likely to fill up eventually not only with children for whom the school is not their first choice, but who have failed to get into other schools, but also with new comers who moved into Brent after the application process closed.
It isn't a great start.
In addition to 46 first preferences from Brent there were a further 4 from Harrow. Applications naming the school but not as first choice came from Croydon, Ealing, Harrow and Hillingdon.
The school, the creation of Katharine Birbalsingh, who lost her previous job when she spoke about children in her then school at a Tory Party Conference, had tried to set up in two other London boroughs but was firmly told it was not wanted.
The building the school is due to occupy, Arena House, opposite Wembley Park station, is rumoured to need its asbestos removed. There is no evidence of any work being carried out and some windows have been left open which allows pigeons access. It is rather a sad sight.
With the recent revelations that free school costs are twice as high as predicted, some free school opening with very few pupils, free schools employing unqualified teachers and free school heads walking out after 6 months in the job, it is legitimate to ask, with only 46 first preference applicants, whether Michaela is viable.
An objective Department for Education would subject any further expenditure to stern scrutiny. However as after her Tory Conference appearance Birbalsingh is Michael Gove's darling and a favourite of the Tory Right, that seems unlikely. Brent Council certainly establish whether the money could be better spent and make their views known to the DfE.
The 120 places are likely to fill up eventually not only with children for whom the school is not their first choice, but who have failed to get into other schools, but also with new comers who moved into Brent after the application process closed.
It isn't a great start.
When it became public knowledge, early in 2013, that Michaela Community School was proposing to set up in Wembley Park, rather than in Lambeth as originally agreed with the Department for Education, our MP raised the question of whether local people actually wanted the school with Michael Gove. Lord Nash, the Minister responsible for Free Schools, replied on 8 March 2013 that Ministers would consider 'evidence of demand' as one of the factors 'before making the final decision to open the school'.
ReplyDeleteWell, Michael Gove and Lord Nash, are you satisfied by this evidence of "demand" that millions of pounds of taxpayers' money would be well spent on opening this school?
In the interests of fairness can you tell us how many "first choices" other schools in the Borough got?
ReplyDeleteHow many people signed the Anti Michaela petition?
ReplyDeleteThe FOI was only about Michaela and was requested by someone else. It took a long time to get and answer but I could certainly try and get other figures.
ReplyDeleteThat would be great - otherwise it's hard to see what those figures mean. I understand it takes time but the applications deadline has just finished a few weeks ago so it can't take too much? And if you could let us know how many people signed the petition that would be helpful too for context.
DeleteI have put in an FoI on 1st preferences here: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/requesting_the_no_of_first_prefe
DeleteI have checked with the petition organisers who tell me that initially the petition was aimed at the audiences for the various Michaela consultations and they expected to collect signatures at these meetings. Attendance was so low that after collecting 50 signatures or so they recognised that there was little interest in the Michaela proposal and concentrated instead on distributing leaflets about the background to Michaela and free schools in general.
The proof of the pudding etc etc: ‘Nearly six out of 10 of the government's flagship free schools opening in 2012 did so at only 90% of their stated first-year capacity or less; while 10 schools – nearly one in four of the 44 mainstream free schools for which full data is available – opened at 60% or less of the student numbers predicted.’ Guardian 14/12/13 . Expect more fiascoes like Discovery (and more tv appearances by the hapless/hopeless Matthew Hancock, taking the flak for Gove).
DeleteThanks Martin. I know the Guardian quote didn't come from you and, of course, it doesn't answer the question I asked. Looking forward to hearing the results.
DeleteMichaela will never open. A chancer like Birbalsingh will soon sniff the way the wind is blowing with 'Free' schools and will be looking for a new ego-vehicle to be 'passionate' about. Following insider gossip from BBC staff, Paddy Power are currently offering: 10-1 on, a tv series of 'iconic' railway journeys; 5-1, a regular weekend football talk show on Radio 5 live; evens, the autumn 2014 series of Strictly in the not-a-chance-in-hell-but-she-won't turn-anything-down Ann Widdecombe role.Don't worry, it'll all be over by Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming that's a joke? Not a very funny one but an attempt at least?
DeleteIt seems she touched a nerve. By the way, (and as this is an education topic), statements don't require question marks. Hope you don't mind me saying?
DeleteThe Michaela Community School website features an article (advertisement?) which appeared in the Sunday Times in October 2013:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcsbrent.co.uk/michaela-is-in-todays-sunday-times/
Ms Birbalsingh promotes "her" school (towards the end of the secondary school applications period for September 2014), and it is interesting to read that 'extraordinary numbers of ordinary families crowd into our information events'.
From this claim you would expect that the 120 Year 7 places available at Michaela would have been oversubscribed. The relatively low number (50) of first preference applications suggest that either Ms Birbalsingh was exaggerating the interest being shown, or that the parents of many of the ordinary families who did attend were not convinced by what she told them at those meetings or in the glossy prospectus. They may not have been convinced either that the type of education she promised would be delivered by her school, or that it would be suitable for their children.
There never was any real demand for Ms Birbalsingh's school by parents in Brent, and I think that the figures now available (just 46 first preferences from across the whole of the borough) show this. Michael Gove should pull the plug on this costly vanity project.
Interesting article/advert. And picture: what is it with these people and the Billy Bunter blazer embellishments? Is this what they mean by 'preserving what was good about the past'?
DeleteAlthough, of course, we don't yet know what well-established schools got as a first preference. It hardly seems surprising that a new school would get fewer than that.
DeleteParticularly one which doesn't exist, will only be here because it can't be somewhere else and ultimately won't even be here, the way things are going. Hardly an enticing prospect for the rational parent, is it? And then there's Discovery, the Birbalsingh factor, Toby Young .............
DeleteProbably - but in this case it is not Billy Bunter who is waiting for a cheque.
ReplyDelete