NUT: Free Schools & University Technical Colleges

Tuesday, 11 October 2011 11:30 AM

Commenting on Michael Gove’s statement to the House of Commons on University Technical Colleges and Free Schools, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union said:

“Free Schools are not the answer to education in this country or indeed any other. Sweden is already paying the price of going down the Free Schools route with a reported increase in social divisions.

“Despite education budgets being cut the Education Secretary is determined to press ahead with this costly and pointless exercise. It is quite extraordinary that taxpayers are footing the bill for a small number of schools which will cause havoc with coherent education provision and fair admissions within local authorities.

“Parents have not shown any great enthusiasm for Free Schools and certainly have not shown any support for Michael Gove’s suggestion that they do not need to have qualified teachers, or his relaxed approach to Free Schools being run for profit.

“University Technical Colleges are extremely divisive and will force young people to make choices about the direction they wish to travel in at far too early an age. Separating ‘technical’ or ‘vocational’ education from mainstream schools will lead to a two tier system with technical schools being potentially seen as the poor cousin. We need an education system which opens up a range of different routes for young people to progress into further education, training and employment and keeps their options open, not closes them down at age 14 or 16.

“Breaking up state education into a patchwork system of providers will have severe consequences for everyone. Education should not be subjected to the ideology of the market place. We need to see a return to properly planned school place provision, based on clearly identified need and overseen by the local authority.”

END pr135-2011
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Tags:
• education
,
• free schools
,
• michael gove