Review ordered into ‘transformative’ colleges
Proposals for 16-19 free schools could be halted after the education secretary announced a review to see if the plans “offer value for taxpayers’ money”.
Bridget Phillipson has ordered officials to look at the 44 mainstream free schools planned by the last government, that have not yet opened.
It will take into account whether projects would provide a “distinctive curriculum” and cause “any impact on existing local providers”. Officials will work with local authorities and academy trusts over the autumn and will write to them now, setting out next steps in relation to individual projects.
The review will only examine mainstream free school projects that were approved by central government. It does not include those being delivered through competitions run by local authorities, which will continue as planned.
With the aim of recruiting students from deprived communities, the free-to-attend colleges in Dudley, Middlesbrough and Oldham had the aim of preparing the 16-18 year-olds to achieve places at top universities.
The colleges would be called Eton Star Dudley, Eton Star Oldham and Eton Star Teesside and will admit 480 students across Year 12 and Year 13 in each college.
Prestigious private school Eton also will contribute £1m a year to each college on top of £2,000 a year per student.
It formed part of the former government’s initiative to open 15 new free schools in parts of the country where education outcomes are weakest.
Phillipson said: “Under the last administration, substantial funds were allocated to the free schools programme, often resulting in surpluses in school capacity.”
“Not only is this poor value for money, the oversupply of places can be detrimental to the other, more established schools in that area – who might lose pupils, as well as teachers, to their new competitor.
“Meanwhile, in the fourteen years since the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme, some of this funding could have been put to better use improving the deteriorating condition of our existing schools and colleges.
“We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge that we have inherited and this will not be a quick fix.”
