C.E. Jottings

Special Free Schools & Autism: Minister's answer. Why none for cerebral palsy?

Six special free schools for pupils with autism and six more on the way? None for pupils with cerebral palsy? And you explain that, how, I wonder? From Hansard 9 January 2014: Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools for autistic children have been set up in the UK; and how many such applications are currently being considered by his Department. Edward Timpson (The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State... Read more →

Stephen Twigg supports Conductive Education!

The Shadow Education Secretary, Stephen Twigg, I read in this morning’s press, is in favour of all teachers being trained. Conductors are trained. Ergo Stephen Twigg is in favour of Conductive Education! Well, no. I’m kidding. It’s a fantasy as well as a non sequitur. Actually, it’s also a case of misreporting. The Shadow Minister is not, as I wrote, "in favour of" all teachers being trained, certainly not if by that we mean initial training. He’s not actually “in... Read more →

102 new Free Schools announced - 8 special schools

Education Secretary Michael Gove today approved 102 new free school applications to open in 2014 and beyond. just 8 are special schools. 2 of these are National Autistic Society free schools adding to NAS's first free school due to open in Reading in September this year: one in east Cheshire for 60 pupils and the other in Lambeth for 78 pupils. Eden School - Blackburn with Darwen 8-16 INSPIRE special Free School - Medway - secondary (Appears to be promoted... Read more →

New term. New Free Schools. Time for new schools' politics?

This past week [I began this post on 8th Sept], as children returned to school, some of them did so for the first time at one of the 55 new Free Schools opening this autumn term. Also this week, perhaps not entirely coincidentally, Biteback Publishing published "Education, Education, Education: Reforming England's Schools" by former Labour Education Minister, Andrew Adonis. One theme of the book was presaged in an article written by Andrew Adonis for the New Statesman back in March... Read more →

Number of Free Schools rising - see map & list #freeschools #CondEd

Mostly a simple alert to: 1. DfE Press Release issued today "Prime Minister: More new Free Schools than ever before to raise standards and increase choice: The Prime Minister and Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced that 102 new Free Schools have been approved to open in 2013 and beyond." Of these just 5 are special free schools. That adds to the 3 special free schools due to open in September 2012. Does anyone know how these are doing? 2.... Read more →

When all said and done, I doubt we could have done more.

When all said and done, I doubt we could have done more. A school that Ofsted said officially was "Good" and told us unofficially was nearly "Outstanding"; an application that independent readers told us was "compelling" and "impressive", in the end was not sufficient. This morning DfE wrote to say that Paces was not being invited to take our Special Free School application to the final, Pre-Opening, stage for September 2012 . This is a huge disappointment; for us at... Read more →

Sheffield endorses Paces' Special Free School application

"Thank you for your letter of 29th September 2011. I am happy to confirm formally our support for the application for Paces to become a Free School." Dated 17 October 2011, the letter is signed personally by Dr Sonia Sharp, Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families. Every parent everywhere, everyone everywhere who has battled for conductive education, will understand the the sense of joy, excitement and, yes, gratitude at the opening words of that second sentence: "I am happy... Read more →

Paces at NASS Annual Conference

I'm about to head off to the Annual Conference of NASS at South Normanton, near Derby; looking forward to taking part in the Panel Discussion that rounds off the first day. My brief is to talk about our experience of applying to become a Free School. "Panel Discussion: Survival of the Fittest - Surviving and Thriving in Difficult Times Tracy De Bernhardt Dunkin, West of England School & College - The Future Remodelled Olga Sullivan, Buckinghamshire CC - Working with... Read more →

Paces Special Free School - Yes, says DfE.

The news we'd been waiting for, when it came, came by email late yesterday afternoon. The first paragraph read: Dear Mr Perrin Free School Application: Paces 27 September 2011 I am pleased to inform you that after careful consideration, your application to establish a Special Free School in Sheffield will progress to the financial assessment stage of the Special Free Schools process. The rest of the evening I spent ringing and emailing around the great news, as you wil imagine.... Read more →

... and so back to business-as-usual: a work-in-progress

Sorry folks for not following up our Free School interview with a quick posting. How did it go? Did we have a good day in London? I'll tell you in 6-8 weeks when DfE announces which groups have been successful! Returning to Sheffield on the train, we chewed over the whole experience and where we might have given a better response. We were all agreed the questions ranged widely over our proposal and that members of the interviewing panel seemed... Read more →