Free schools and the Coquet Valley test!
There have been acres of newpaper coverage in the past few days about the new Government's proposals to encourage Academies and the setting up of 'free' schools - whereby parents can opt to establish their own schools in an area.
However, coverage appears silent on how pupils are actually going to get to these schools, or at who's cost - or the environmental impact of additional peak hour travel.
In the late 1980s (about the time of proposed GM schools) a colleague at Northumberland County Council used to say everytime he saw such a policy emanate from London he'd invite the relevant civil servant up to Northumberland. He'd then take them to the Coquet Valley - a beautiful area in Northumberland - and ask them then to explain quite how they saw that policy working!
Free schools would seem to have considerable merit. No-one doubts the need to improve quality of education or be responsive to parents etc. Arguments that such schools will be elitist, for those with pushy parents, have been well rehearsed in the media this week. But, in rural areas they are likely to be accessible only to those willing and able to drive their children to and from school; unless supported by school transport. At a time when school transport budgets are under scrutiny - is this likely?
In London where travel for young people is free; or even in the metropolitan areas where there's public transport that's (relatively) cheap, clearly access to a wider range of schools will not be an issue for many young people.
I'm yet to see whether and how 'free schools' will pass the Coquet Valley test - or will this again widen the gap between the choices available to young people in cities and those who live in rural areas such as Northumberland?
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