logo-education
0370 270 6000

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Sign in with LinkedIn

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Register with LinkedIn

Forgotten your password?

Browne Jacobson home arrow Home arrow Insights arrow Blogs arrow Lack of parent interest leads to cancellation of free school

Lack of parent interest leads to cancellation of free school

23 July 2012

Ministers have confirmed that a free school which was preparing to open in September has been withdrawn due to lack of parental demand.

The founders of The Newham Free Academy in East London claimed to have "developed large community links in Newham with many parents and families worried about secondary school provision in their local area” but seemingly could not garner the necessary interest to satisfy the Department for Education that there was sufficient demand.

Pupil numbers are critical to the success of free schools as funding depends on the number of pupils a school attracts.

The news will support the claim by the critics of the free schools programme who claim that it is not sufficiently geared up to support areas of need, especially as this follows on from news last month that Beccles Free School in Suffolk received just 37 applications for children to join the school.

Related opinions

Schools face scrutiny over Covid-19 vaccinations for children

On 4 June, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds.

View blog

School not liable for reckless actions of a student

The decision reinforces that the standard of the duty of care owed by schools is one or reasonableness.

View blog

Avoiding grade challenges on ‘unconscious bias’

A system based on teacher assessed grades, rather than external exams, was inevitably going to give rise to speculation about bias and objectivity in teacher assessment and grading decisions. Schools can prepare now for these kinds of challenges by ensuring that they have clear written evidence readily available.

View blog

Teachers report inadequate training on peer-on-peer abuse

Despite the increased media and regulatory focus on peer-on-peer abuse within schools, teachers are still reporting that they feel undertrained and ill-equipped to recognise and respond to allegations and incidents.

View blog

View all blogs

Mailing list sign up

Select which mailings you would like to receive from us.

Sign up

Information

  1. Investors in people
  2. social mobility index
  3. Lexcel
  5. Plain English Campaign Approved

Follow us...

© Copyright Browne Jacobson LLP 2021 - All rights reserved