They’re expensive, not free, and they’re awful. Why does Cameron want more ‘free’ schools?
State-funded but privately-owned and notoriously ill-performing… Does anybody here think the so-called ‘free schools’ (which are in reality terrifyingly expensive) are a good idea?
David Cameron is announcing the latest wave of free schools in England, as a step towards his manifesto pledge of 500 more over the next five years.
The prime minister is launching a further 18 of the state-funded schools, set up by academy trusts, community groups, parents and teachers.
Mr Cameron said this would deliver “innovative and exciting schools”.
But the National Union of Teachers said the government was “playing politics” with the demand for school places.
The announcement will add to the 252 free schools already open and a further 52 set to open this term, out of a total of about 22,000 schools in the state sector.
Source: Cameron launches wave of free schools – BBC News
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Tweeted @melissacade68
Cameron et al should have put the funding into the state schools which already existed to improve those, not further dilute those and again damage the education offered to the children of parents who cannot pay (most of us!).
I would assume this is a land-grab as, if I have this right, title to the land the school’s on goes to the new owners of the school. I imagine the plan is to eventually close the schools and sell off the land for development.
It mystifies me! Supposedly at a time when money is so scarce, times so austere that the tories are trying to decimate our welfare state and privatise the NHS, but yet people sit back as the tories provide public money to hand over largely to middle class individuals and groups to run schools where no qualified professional teachers are necessary, no adherence to the curriculum required, and the normal educational controls loosened, and our schools are short of resources and teachers! Even more bizarre, Kendall and her followers, which also means Blair is a believer, favours more free schools and Tristram Hunt, the previous shadow education minister also supports them! These schools are being resourced by the taxpayer and given free hand to do what they will, and no one questions the draining of resources from state curriculum schools into the hands of people who really want to send their child to private school, but can use our money to run their own with as little as 50 pupils! Are we asleep?
I tend to agree with Bill Kruse
Bill that does sound like a Typical Tory Ploy!
David Cameron want more free schools ,as do most other MP’s because they get kick backs from the Companies building them eg Balfour Beatty Group. He also want them ,safe in the knowledge that the General Public have been GAGGED via the Court of Appeal decision C3/2013/1855 Dransfield v ICO &Devon County Council.
Astronomical operational costs of PFI schools, eg £350 to change a toilet seat,£250 to change a lightbulb are commonplace.
The DCC have not provisioned one of their 500 schools in Devon with Lightning Risk Assessment??
PFI schools are ill conceived, having poor design ,inferior materials and sloppy workmanship and are a fiscal boondoggle.
The PFI debt for schools, hospital,fie and police stations etc is currently running at £300 billion. Whats wrong with PFI Project we read every day in the National Press. I say what’s right with them
Just another way of enriching their friends at the cost of society as a whole. They shouldn’t be allowed to call them “free schools” its misleading and not true. Remember, regardless of whether or not it is good for society as a whole, if the Tories and their chums can’t make a great deal of money out of anything then they just aren’t interested in it.
We have a “free school” going up opposite us. Originally just a “school” but the council refused planning permission due to the location being congested already with multiple junctions and insufficient roads/parking spaces to cope. Boris then gave himself the legal power (no democratic vote, just sheer arrogant dictatorship) to over-ride the council and gave planning permission. Hoardings went up as the businesses were being compulsorily purchased and cleared. They proudly stated “Bermondsey HAS got its new school !” Then the cranes and machinery moved in and the developer’s main hoardings went up with this slogan everywhere “Bermondsey Works, a 19 storey collection of luxury penthouses, apartments and villas…” The school was no more than a smokescreen / con for Boris and his Party to get another back-hander from yet another speculative development of extremely expensive flats which no locals can afford.
Yup. Same with the hospitals and the parks and the housing associations.
If you have the land you control the resources and can corral people into ‘human settlement zones.’ (Agenda 21)
In America all the small family farms are being forced to close as well. Also it is illegal to live off-grid in many states.
Smells like training Toriy grounds for the future ye olde establishment which is going down the pan anyway…..just the usual lack of foresight……..they just accept that the end is nigh.