ABOUT 30 of the 100 new Free Schools announced by the Government
at the end of last week have a Christian or other faith ethos. Six
have an Anglican designation (see story below); a further
ten stem from a range of Christian backgrounds, which include St
Andrew the Apostle Greek Orthodox School, in Enfield; St Anthony's,
Cinderford, a former fee-paying school with Roman Catholic links;
and Sevenoaks Christian School, a comprehensive for 1200 pupils,
planned by a group of 23 local churches, more than half of which
are Anglican.
Exemplar-Newark Business Academy, Nottinghamshire; Hope
Community School, Bexley; Riverside School, Barking; Tyndale
Commun-ity School, Oxford; and Wye School, Kent, are associated
with Evangelical free churches. Oasis Community School, Waterloo,
in London, is backed by the non-denominational Oasis charity; and
Southend YMCA community school is described as "alternative
provision". All Saints' Primary, in Devon, a recently closed CE
voluntary aided school, is to continue as a parent-led Free
School.
Widely reported allegations by the British Humanist Association
that Creationism was to be taught at Exemplar-Newark Business
Academy and Sevenoaks Christian School were rebutted this week by a
Department for Education spokeswoman. "The school will be allowed
to teach Creationism only in RE lessons and only as one of several
belief systems, certainly not as fact," she said. The Rector of
Chevening, the Revd Chris Smith, who chaired the Sevenoaks planning
group, also rejected the allegation. "Of course, Free Schools
cannot teach Creationism. That was never our intention," he
said.
Other faith Free Schools in the announcement include three new
Jewish schools - in Leeds and north and south London; the
Collective Spirit "faith-sensitive" school in Oldham; four Sikh
schools in west London, Leeds, and Slough; and four Muslim schools
in Nottingham, Calderdale, Blackburn, and Hackney.
SIX of the 100 new Free
Schools will have C of E designation, writes Margaret
Holness. Four are in London, one is in Bristol, and another is
in Chester. All are to open in September next year. Two of the
London schools will focus on special-needs provision.
Bristol Cathedral Primary
School has been sponsored by the Cathed-ral School, which was in
the independent sector before being selected as one of the first
Free Schools two years ago.
Chester Cathedral Primary's
sponsor is Chester University Academy Trust. The diocesan director
of education, Canon Jeff Turnbull, a member of the Trust, said that
it would be a one-form-entry school. The former diocesan retreat
house is being adapted for it.
Although it will specialise in
music, only a few places would be reserved for children with marked
musical ability: most places would be open-admission, he said.
"There is a real shortage of primary places in the city
centre."
Two of the new Free Schools in
London, Fulham Boys' School, a secondary, and St Mary's Primary,
Hampton, will be new institutions. London Diocesan Schools Board
was involved in both applications, its director of schools support
services, Liz Wolverson, said. They will have a C of E
designation.
"London is the only Church of
England diocese to have sponsored Free Schools in the three bidding
rounds, and we are delighted that each proposal has been recognised
as meeting a local need," said the acting diocesan director of
education, Inigo Woolf.
The proposal for Fulham Boys'
School came from parents, while the new primary was sponsored by St
Mary's PCC. The Revd Derek Winterburn, Vicar of St Mary's, said
that the one-form-entry school would be based in a disused
local-authority school. "It will serve a disadvantaged area of
Hampton, where there is a serious shortage of school
places."
The two new C of E Free
special schools are among only five approved by the DfE nationally.
St Marylebone Bridge School was proposed by St Marylebone Academy,
Westminster, and the Courtyard School by St Mary Magdalene Academy,
Islington. Both have strong support from their local
authorities.
"The Bridge School's pupils
will educate children from Years 7-13 who have statements of
special need for moderate learning difficulties," the head teacher
of St Marylebone's, Elizabeth Phillips, said. "There will be 12 in
each year-group." Although the curriculum would concentrate on
literacy, numeracy, and IT skills, the pupils would also be
encouraged to take part in the academy's arts programme. The new
school is likely to use accommodation at St Marylebone Parish
Church.
The Courtyard School, with 38
places for 15-18s on the autistic spectrum, will open in the former
Coroner's Court opposite St Mary Magdalene Academy, the principal,
Paul Hollingum, said. "It will be fully integrated with the
Academy, with all our courses open to Courtyard students." Each
student would have a key worker to be a link between home and
school, and be provided with paid or voluntary employment for a
year after leaving school, he said.