Row over funding for free school (From Warrington Guardian)

He said: “It is disgraceful that vast amounts of money is being spent on setting up free secondary schools when there are vacant places existing in secondary schools in the Warrington area.”

Well maybe parents would prefer to send their kids to those school BUT think more of their childrens education than some sense of loyalty. lets face it, local authorities have been using education as a polictial football since I was at school (MANY year ago). they just cant stand the thought of losing some of their power.

Thats how they can afford the iPads then.

mr Parsih & mr Froggatt due us a favour let it go,if they hadn't shut closed woolston high school none of this backstabbing would be going on.my daughter goes to Kings Leadership Academy and she loves every minute of it.

Just to be clear, I sincerely hope the free school is not being funded on the basis of the number of pupils they initially planned for (120 intake). The Department for Education produces a ready reckoner for new free school funding that implies they will only get funding for each pupil attending, plus various start-up grants - but promoters of free schools can fill in their "projected" number and it's not clear what happens if they fall short of that number. The DfE is not divulging what's in free school "funding agreements" so I felt free to speculate.

If Sir Iain Hall is right that they're only getting £250,000 this year (for the full academic year?) then you'd have to ask where the rest of the money is coming from to pay the staff. If he wants to publish the funding agreement, I'd happily apologise if I'm way out of line of my estimate.

These Councillors are pathetic with their continual sniping.
Let's face it , they are against free schools on political grounds.
No amount of explanation or argument will ever convince them that free schools are anything other than a bad idea.
They have closed minds on this subject.
If the council / LEA had allowed Woolston high school site to used (even on a shared basis with special needs schools) for this free school then there would be hundreds of learners attending the first year now. It is only all this continuous sniping & the political maneuvering over the site by the LEA and the councillors that put any doubt at all in most local parents minds about sending their children to Kings this year. Next year watch the numbers grow. Also , we now have the Woolston High School site, (which used to provide for 1200 pupils), being used for 2 separate special needs schools with a total occupancy of approx 220 learners.
What a waste of a massive site.
It could easily have accommodated the three schools together, with financial and other benefits for the whole Community of Woolston. It just needed a little planning & political willingness,- but no, the Councillors seem to prefer to play politics with our children's futures .
Having never attended any of the parent organisers meetings over the last 2 years to argue their point directly they now childishly stamp their feet and snipe away at the school our children attend.
What a waste of time these people are.

So Mr Parish is now admitting in his reply letter that his figures that he was so keen to quote in the article were an "estimate"! An estimate is far from the truth and in this case represent yet another gross exaggeration - designed to undermine this new Woolston school. Yet more playing of party politics rather than looking out for the interests of the residents of the Woolston, Bruche and neighbouring areas! Personally I found his remarks in the article a disgrace if they weren't as is the case, based on fact.
I congratulate the comments made by the parent of a year 5 child re the old Woolston HS buildings. It just shows again the underhanded dealings of the various councillors we have in this town. All this wailing from various "politicians" about the needs of special children is a load of nonsense. I would like a justification as to why they are removing these special needs children from their current nurturing environments and purpose built schools? One can only presume that it is a great big money grabbing/making enterprise to sell off those existing sites and to place these children in the unsuitable,redundant Woolston HS buildings. How is that catering and providing for special needs children?
Badly done Sir! is what I would say to these councillors - to Sheila Woodyatt who was the definite nail into the Woolston HS coffin and from the desperate fighting and sniping that is going on now from certain quarters, one has to come to the conclusion that certain people are determined to try to stop this school no matter what. Why should Woolston, Padgate and Bruche residents prop up the other schools in the east of the town? The residents made it clear that they wanted a school that their children could walk to, a neighbourhood school. A school that would serve the community. They want buildings which can be used for night school classes.... sporting, vocational. creative and educational - why should they have to travel further afield to other venues - especially in a town where gridlocked traffic is so often the case? Our councillors do not seem at all bothered about causing traffic chaos, and expense for people in the east of the town. I would like to see figures about how much money per pupil this town spent on Woolston HS pupils in comparison with the other high schools - Woolston did not fare very well until the last head there who forced every penny out of them possible.
In conclusion I would also point out that the Tory government is not at all interested in educating the children of as they see it "the plebs". They most certainly do not want to spend any money on them. I have no doubt that some of the free schools they will set set up will not be a patch on this new Woolston school. I can't wait to see a new school built at last at Hillock Lane playing fields and a thriving centre to the Woolston community.

Hundreds? From where?

It's not just about what parents want (a high school on every corner would be nice) but what's viable - "a size threshold at which a school can deliver a satisfactory curriculum economically". http://www.audit-com
mission.gov.uk/subwe
bs/publications/stud
ies/studyPDF/1648.pd
f

"Economically" means without taxpayers having to pay extra to small schools to ensure a viable curriculum.

For 30 years every government has accepted that for an 11-16 school, this means 6 forms of entry (900 pupils) though Warrington has managed with several high schools taking fewer. Don't blame local councillors for pointing out what every government has said for 30 years - until this one, for ideological (not to say crackpot) reasons. It's not party political - the local Tories think it's crazy too.

The smallest high school in England (under 200 pupils) was kept open for one reason - it's at Alston 1000 feet above sea level and too often pupils wouldn't get the 20 miles to Penrith through the snow. Of course it's no longest the smallest high school in England - and if you think it's just a Warrington issue, think again: http://blog.hargrave
.org.uk/2012/07/saxm
undham-free-school-l
ow-numbers.html

Here's what the government said about free schools: "The DfE will want to see robust evidence that your school will be viable and of the size you predict before they commit any money". That's what they said - but their definition of robust is obviously a bit flexible.

It is rather laughable for a councillor to talk about viable schools when the most vocal ones on here kept the not so viable Padgate HS open.
Do certain people not read on here? The new school is certainly attracting numbers for next year. It is hardly sporting of these whining Labour councillors to flag up this year's numbers as they resorted to some very mean tactics to try and prevent the school opening at all. At every turn they were obstructive towards this school, fighting to deny the premises needed and using delaying tactics designed no doubt to try and make attracting staff difficult. Well I have news for them. The school is up and running and a wonderful start has been made with high quality, qualified staff attracted and an enthusiastic cohort of children thoroughly enjoying their school.
The civil servants are doing a difficult job under this government with its attitude to state education but they are not passing schools that will not be viable. Even the Gove person doesn't want that. I know of the applicants for another free school, outside the Borough, and the "grilling" they received from DfE officials left them wrung out.
For the past 30 years every government it seems to me has denied academically bright,working class children the chance to bridge the social divide in this country Something that comprehensive education has failed to do and we have what are in effect post code schools in this country, That is the most damning thing about the Labour party I can name and one I cannot really forgive them for.

Councillors dont like things that they cant control, They are power mad, USELESS but power mad.

They always forget what they are elected to do once they get into office. Its amazing how many have short term memory loss,.