Free schools: government accused of wasting £2.3m

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/31/free-schools-government-wasting-millions

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The government has wasted at least £2.3m on free schools that have either not opened or lacked local support from parents, and the true figure could be far higher, according to Labour.

Attacking the education secretary, Michael Gove, as "incompetent and out of touch", his Labour shadow, Stephen Twigg, called for full transparency over funding for free schools – one of the coalition's flagship education reforms.

In a letter to Gove, he said: "Although you have not released details of the funding for individual free school projects, our figures suggest that at least £2.3m has been wasted on pet projects."

These included a reported £213,000 on The One in a Million free school in Bradford, whose support from the Department of Education was withdrawn just eight days before opening. Twigg also cited the Rivendale primary school in west London, said to have abandoned plans to open and on which local parents say £144,000 has been wasted.

He also highlighted the Beccles free school in Suffolk, saying: "£2m has been spent on a school which will serve only 37 pupils, in an area with over 10,000 spare secondary places. 3,000 people signed a petition against the school."

He said: "By pursuing pet projects, rather than setting up schools where they are needed, millionsof pounds that could be spent on improving education are being poured down the drain."

He called on Gove to explain how many of the 79 free schools due to launch in September would open as planned, and how much money had been spent on those which would not.

Free schools are state-funded primaries and secondaries started by parents, teachers, charities and private firms which have greater freedom to change the timing of the school day, teachers' pay and the subjects they teach.

Labour says £50m has been spent on free schools since 2010 and £600m was allocated in the budget for the next three years.