Gladstone School, initially a secondary free school planned for the Gladstone Park area in Brent, has thrown in the towel having again failing to find a site and having to tell children expecting to attend in September that they will have to find another school.
On the 'school's' website today (I put 'school' in quotation marks because it has never educated a single child)
Putting aside the issue of the plans for the school, which have not been put to the test, questions have to be asked about government free school policy when the Education Funding Agency and DfE are unable to find a site for a school but continue funding it.It is with great regret that we must announce the end of the Gladstone School project, due entirely to a failure to find a suitable site.
As many of Brent’s parents already know, a change in government policy in 2014 blocked the school’s plans to open in a temporary site at the last minute, forcing us to defer opening. A site was identified for a 2015 opening, but in February last year negotiations with the site owner collapsed, along with our chances of opening that year. Since then, no further site has been found, despite the full support of Brent Council who have long recognised the need for more secondary school places.
Since we first floated the vision of a parent and community led school, we have been met with enthusiasm, interest and support – locally, nationally and indeed internationally. The depth of that support has kept us fighting for a new school for so long. However, faced with the continued absence of a possible site, the decision has been made to cancel the project altogether.
We are very sad that we will be disappointing the many parents and young people who responded so warmly to our ideas, and would like to thank you for all your support over the last four years.
Maria EvansChair of Governors
Brent schools could have used the money well for actual children rather than the cash going down the drain on something that is not much more than a website, illustrated with stock photos of uniformed child models, and a salaried Principal who has no building, no staff and no pupils.
8 comments:
When will we have the final bill for a 'school' that as you say has not educated a single child? This shows the inherent flaw in the whole free school/ academies plan. This at a time when school budgets are being slashed!
Well, some people have benefited I suppose, but no local children.
'Floating a vision',eh? Unseaworthy from the start, I'd have thought.
Still, the 'Principal' will have to give his/her salary back.
Won't s/he?
There's no such thing as a free school lunch, surely.
Mike Hine
It's outrageous. To think this pack had the nerve to call local secondary schools "exam factories". They were somehow superior since they "floated their vision" which sounds more like a fart than a viable plan for a school. Good riddance!
This is a massive disappointment for those of us with primary children and no faith. The only secondary with a catchment area of west/South of Gladstone Park does not have spaces at secondary transfer. Jewish, Muslim, Christian all have state funded options.
Once the mud slinging and self congratulations have subsided and the questions answered about the use of significant resources to get absolutely nowhere, we parents will be in the same position.
At least these people tried, and refused to accept the truly pathetic offering of Crest Academy - a school with new facilities, significant resources pumped in but absolutely no progress towards even a decent education for our children locally.
It perhaps would have been helpful for those hellbent on stopping the plans to use just a bit of their energy towards solving the problem.
They were Barnet parents who only stopped the project because they are moving to Oxford. They have 2 secular schools on their doorstep both with "good" ofsted ratings but decided "floating the vision" to open a school in the neighbouring school somehow made sense. They employed their own educational consultancy for expertise for 3 years.
Good riddance!
They were Barnet parents who only stopped the project because they are moving to Oxford. They have 2 secular schools on their doorstep both with "good" ofsted ratings but decided "floating the vision" to open a school in the neighbouring school somehow made sense. They employed their own educational consultancy for expertise for 3 years.
Good riddance!
The whole problem is that you dont solve the problem of school places/choice, by allowing literally anyone to decide to set up a school. Only a managed local authority lead solution will work. If you have a problem with local school provision tell your councillors and MP.
'If you choose to wrestle with a pig' etc .......
Post a Comment