General Chat

Just looked on line to find out how to fund a free school It didn't mention registering, but a 100 page plan has to be submitted. Once this is agreed, and the school is open (this is for a Special Free School. I presume they mean Special Needs), this is some of what they can receive:

Once the school is open, it will be funded partly by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), and partly by local authorities and others schools commissioning places and services from the free school. Special free schools will have been established in response to demand by local authorities and/or local schools. Evidence of this demand was produced to support the establishment of the schools.
8. Funding in special free schools:
• All places for pre-16 and post-16 pupils with EHC plans/statements in a special free school attract per-place funding.
• The fixed per-place funding will be paid for a number of places which will be subject to regular review. The per-place rate will be £10,000 in 2015/16, and may be subject to change in subsequent years. The detailed funding methodology may also vary over time as changes are made to the school and high-needs funding systems.
• Schools will also receive top-up funding for each pupil placed in the free school, based on the pupil’s assessed needs and the cost of meeting those needs in the school. That top-up funding comes from the local authority that commissions the place.


No mention of funding after registration!!

I expect there are ways and means of getting funding, they'd need initial funding to set up the school, then just 'forget' to register.
Also, some of the schools, though called 'Free', are actually private boarding schools, so the parents pay.

There was mention on the TV that many of these unregistered schools started off as support groups for home educated children. Then, like Topsy, they just grew and grew!

There was also the suggestion that the Registration criteria will be applied to 'schools' offering 8 hours per week. That could encompass after school religious or language teaching in mosques, synagogues, temples and possibly churches.

If they are unregistered, they wouldn't be eligible for government funding, would they?

Although the article focussed on Islamic schools/faith based schools, it does highlight how a segment of the population cling to old traditions rather than embrace integration.

They shouldn't Ann, but then, as the article cited by Gins says:

"Anywhere that offers more than 20 hours a week of teaching is legally obliged to be registered as a school. The three schools inspected by Ofsted had not met this requirement to register."

So, just teach for 4 hours a day, you have a 'Free' school, that receives funding, and isn't registered!!
Also, with the drastic cut in local and central government Admin workers, and the increase in managers who work from home (how can a manager 'manage' staff from home?), things aren't getting done.

When they first started - not sure if it's changed yet - both Free schools and Academies didn't have to employ qualified teachers (neither do Public Schools), so goodness knows who is teaching them! :-S

Det.....the fact that they exist

Agree Maggie :-)

Who are these people that are teaching the children and 'what' are they teaching them :-0

But, if the ones talked about arre not registered, will they get funding from the government?

'Free' schools and Academies get a lot of funding for the first 3 years (taken from state schools, or rather, reducing the funding for state schools).
They do incredibly well during this time.
After 3 years, they receive the same as state schools (the obviously reduced amount that state schools now get - thanks to 'Free' schools) - and quite a few have failed Ofsted - but you never hear about it!!

One day, it would be nice if the Government sees a link between funding and success in ANY school - but I won't hold my breath !!

Maggie
You have hit the nail on the head so to speak.

Many people could have predicted that this would happen with the current government policy.

All schools should be thoroughly inspected and all children taught by qualified staff.

Well, I suppose, when 'private' schools and Academies were allowed to be set up, it was inevitable some would take it too far.

....and yet, they're supposed to be better than state schools.....

Personally, I think the Government should have given the money to state schools, to lower classroom numbers.

Quite an interesting article from earlier this year,

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/stephen-evans/faith-schools_b_7076820.html

I think this is what concerns me.

"illegal schools where they are at risk of exposure to narrow curriculums, misogynist, homophobic and anti-Semitic material and staff who haven't been cleared to work with children, is truly shocking,"

The fact that they exist, or that they are to be closed?

I teach in Eds but FE & HE

This worries me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35070984