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| The politics of Fulham Boys School | The politics of Fulham Boys School |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| You don't have to admire the Etonian ethos of the Fulham Boys School (FBS) to feel sorry for the 84 children who will no longer form its first Year 7 intake in ten weeks time or for their parents who must now spend the next two months frantically seeking alternative secondary school places for their 11 year olds. | You don't have to admire the Etonian ethos of the Fulham Boys School (FBS) to feel sorry for the 84 children who will no longer form its first Year 7 intake in ten weeks time or for their parents who must now spend the next two months frantically seeking alternative secondary school places for their 11 year olds. |
| On Tuesday, education secretary Michael Gove decided that the FBS, a free school in the waiting offering a "boy centred" education with lots of sport, Christian values and emphasis on enterprise, could not open its doors on a temporary site in September as planned because it has been unable to secure a permanent home for the future. Talk about late in the day. | |
| But Gove's timing is just part of the recrimination repertoire his decision has inspired. His fellow Conservatives have been blame-gaming eagerly at local level, loyally pointing the finger elsewhere. | But Gove's timing is just part of the recrimination repertoire his decision has inspired. His fellow Conservatives have been blame-gaming eagerly at local level, loyally pointing the finger elsewhere. |
| Until May's council election, which saw Labour sensationally take control of Hammersmith and Fulham council (H&F) from the Tories, the FBS had been in line to inherit the site of Sulivan school, a local authority primary in south Fulham which the Tories had decided to close and merge with another primary nearby. | Until May's council election, which saw Labour sensationally take control of Hammersmith and Fulham council (H&F) from the Tories, the FBS had been in line to inherit the site of Sulivan school, a local authority primary in south Fulham which the Tories had decided to close and merge with another primary nearby. |
| All that changed when Labour took power at the Town Hall and announced a review of the merger decision. Sulivan, following a long campaign which Labour backed, is now expected to survive, throwing the FBS's prospects into doubt. Local Tory MP Greg Hands has therefore pinned responsibility for the school's plight on the new administration, saying it left Gove's department with "no choice but to postpone the opening of the school". It's all the fault of those socialists, you see. | All that changed when Labour took power at the Town Hall and announced a review of the merger decision. Sulivan, following a long campaign which Labour backed, is now expected to survive, throwing the FBS's prospects into doubt. Local Tory MP Greg Hands has therefore pinned responsibility for the school's plight on the new administration, saying it left Gove's department with "no choice but to postpone the opening of the school". It's all the fault of those socialists, you see. |
| The council's response has been to attack Gove, criticising his decision to delay opening the FBS for at least a year, querying its tardiness, pointing out that free schools are his babies, not local authorities' and demanding an explanation for his failure (not theirs) to find a site for the FBS, which is his job (not theirs either). | The council's response has been to attack Gove, criticising his decision to delay opening the FBS for at least a year, querying its tardiness, pointing out that free schools are his babies, not local authorities' and demanding an explanation for his failure (not theirs) to find a site for the FBS, which is his job (not theirs either). |
| At the same time, they stress that they believe free schools have an important role to play in the borough's school provision. Indeed, council leader Stephen Cowan was complimentary about Hammersmith's West London Free School at the council's bad-tempered AGM last month. | At the same time, they stress that they believe free schools have an important role to play in the borough's school provision. Indeed, council leader Stephen Cowan was complimentary about Hammersmith's West London Free School at the council's bad-tempered AGM last month. |
| Nonetheless, local Tories are seeking to make the FBS a test case of Labour's commitment to helping the Department for Education (DfE) secure premises for free schools. Greg Hands has offered to work with them on helping the FBS find an alternative to the Sulivan site - an offer whose refusal he would surely broadcast far and wide. | Nonetheless, local Tories are seeking to make the FBS a test case of Labour's commitment to helping the Department for Education (DfE) secure premises for free schools. Greg Hands has offered to work with them on helping the FBS find an alternative to the Sulivan site - an offer whose refusal he would surely broadcast far and wide. |
| Surviving True Blue councillor Harry Phibbs - the Famous Harry as he should rightly be known - claims the council has "actively sabotaged" the FBS's search by preventing an extension of its intended temporary tenure from two years to three. He writes on his newly-launched blog that had such an extension been allowed it would have enabled the DfE to let the school open in September as planned "as they would have had greater confidence in finding a permanent site in that timescale". | Surviving True Blue councillor Harry Phibbs - the Famous Harry as he should rightly be known - claims the council has "actively sabotaged" the FBS's search by preventing an extension of its intended temporary tenure from two years to three. He writes on his newly-launched blog that had such an extension been allowed it would have enabled the DfE to let the school open in September as planned "as they would have had greater confidence in finding a permanent site in that timescale". |
| Well, from what I hear the DfE doesn't see things in the same way as Harry. And the council has flatly denied sabotage. Like Harry himself, it points out that the intended temporary FBS home, an existing school building in north Fulham, has been purchased by developer Capital and Counties (Capco) and therefore politely observes that any FBS lease arrangements will have been made with them. Capco helpfully says that it has had "no such instruction" from the borough about the length of the FBS lease. | |
| There is, though, a connection between the council, Capco and the property in question, and this may have been in Harry's mind. The school stands on the Gibbs Green housing estate, one of the two Capco wishes to demolish as part of the gruesome Earls Court Project so adoringly approved by the council when the Tories were in charge of it. The transfer of the school from the council to Capco is part of a much larger agreement to sell it all the land occupied by the estates. Had this agreement not been made, who knows what options the FBS might have had? | |
| The roosting of that returned chicken seems unlikely, however, to deter Conservative attacks on their Labour conquerors. The FBS is a Tory cause celebre. The school's chairman, Alex Wade, though challenging Gove's decision, is an H&F Tory member. The school's masculinist, Church of England and all-round "traditional" values ignite | The roosting of that returned chicken seems unlikely, however, to deter Conservative attacks on their Labour conquerors. The FBS is a Tory cause celebre. The school's chairman, Alex Wade, though challenging Gove's decision, is an H&F Tory member. The school's masculinist, Church of England and all-round "traditional" values ignite |
| visceral Tory fervour - hence some pre-election tub-thumping on its behalf by Boris Johnson. | visceral Tory fervour - hence some pre-election tub-thumping on its behalf by Boris Johnson. |
| It's hard to imagine Labour being quite so enthusiastic, though any political gain H&F Tories make from alleging under-effusiveness might not be large. The election outcome suggests that Labour's sympathy for the fight to save Sulivan school found favour with local people. | It's hard to imagine Labour being quite so enthusiastic, though any political gain H&F Tories make from alleging under-effusiveness might not be large. The election outcome suggests that Labour's sympathy for the fight to save Sulivan school found favour with local people. |
| By contrast, only 54 of the 84 boys signed up for the FBS are H&F residents and 36 of its Year 7 entry places weren't filled at all. Back in May, Wade made the fair point that long-term uncertainty about the school's location might have put some parents off applying, but Sulivan campaigners always questioned if parental demand for a school like the FBS is as great as it supporters say. | By contrast, only 54 of the 84 boys signed up for the FBS are H&F residents and 36 of its Year 7 entry places weren't filled at all. Back in May, Wade made the fair point that long-term uncertainty about the school's location might have put some parents off applying, but Sulivan campaigners always questioned if parental demand for a school like the FBS is as great as it supporters say. |
| Gove, who has publicly associated himself with the FBS for more than three years, told the BBC he is "determined to find a site for this marvellous group of people". He mentioned that Mayor Johnson is a backer of free schools, as indeed he is, using his powers to that end. Capco says it is "open to formal discussion with all relevant stakeholders" to see if it can assist in any way with finding a permanent solution. | Gove, who has publicly associated himself with the FBS for more than three years, told the BBC he is "determined to find a site for this marvellous group of people". He mentioned that Mayor Johnson is a backer of free schools, as indeed he is, using his powers to that end. Capco says it is "open to formal discussion with all relevant stakeholders" to see if it can assist in any way with finding a permanent solution. |
| But what are the chances of the FBS ever finding a home? It's a question H&F parents thinking of choosing it in future should first and foremost put to Gove. The same goes for local Tories. He's the one in charge of free schools, after all. | But what are the chances of the FBS ever finding a home? It's a question H&F parents thinking of choosing it in future should first and foremost put to Gove. The same goes for local Tories. He's the one in charge of free schools, after all. |