On 10th September 10 Vicki said: Do your children + steering groups/supporters children, go into the lottery the same as any other applicant? or is there an initial selection?

On 20th September 10 alison ferrari said: thats great news

On 29th September 10 An Education Professional said: This institution won't stand the test of time. You are not a teacher nor qualified in what you preach. You have no concept of schooling within this century and do not understand the ways in which children learn. Your literature choice proves vastly ignorant towards our future generation and generally patronising. If a child is forced to read a book in an autocratic way, there is no enjoyment. Without enjoyment from education, there is no 'further' education. Without continuous investment in further education, there is a lack of 'trained thinkers'. Consequently your efforts so far will have been wasted. Why not devote your energy into improving the state system (ie-that comprehensive schooling system the majority of UK are forced to use) rather than taking their money and seeing your own kids right. At least by this method, the comprehensive schools which populate every city and town in the UK will become something more than a 'dumping ground' for the working class. By all means, set up a school and fund it yourself.

On 29th September 10 helen jean bassett said: I think that free schools are a great idea it gives paents from the outter more to get their children into a school that dosent have a cachment area i hope somone uses the idea for our own area as we have olny twelve secondary schools all which are over subscribed

On 29th September 10 Clare said: Just watched your programme. Hope you get the go-ahead. Couldn't agree with you more re: classical literature and Latin. Hope your vision succeeds and proves to everyone that modern/multicultural (i hate that word) kids aren't just into video games but can be educated and inspired with a classical education.

On 29th September 10 Another Education Professional said: I worry that a school can be set up by unqualified teachers and believe this could be potentially disastrous for the future of young people. The government already allows doctors to set up GPs surgeries, lawyers to set up private practices, but unqualified teachers setting up schools, this is arrogant and irresponsble. Reading through the ethos and policies, as they currently stand, there is no evidence of methodology that would support the institution's aspirations. I would suggest that more time is invested by the steering committee to draw up a teaching and learning policy that would enable the school to fulfil the aspirations for its pupils. Mr Young's visit to QK school in North London to gain an insight in to the running of a successful school seemed pointless given that Mr Young failed to adhere to the advice given to him by experienced, qualfified and successful teachers. I wonder if Mr Young and his steering committee would be willing to work with recognised education professionals, affording them the luxury to make decisions?

On 29th September 10 AndyS said: One flaw you overlooked as well as ignored. The schoolboy that said to you "we aren't interested in Alice in Wonderland, we want to learn about today and the wider world". Just where does Alice fit into all this or latin for that matter? I believe giving children the confidence to make their own minds with guidance. It seems your aim is dictate and expect. You will get undoubtably some parents that want their children to go to a school similar to yours, or even yours. Yes, in life there are lots of weird and wonderful people, just not sure which category yet you fall into. Narrow mindedness springs to mind so far. If you wanted such a better school, then why not support and encourage the school your children are at currently. Or is it the case, you just couldn't afford private school and this was the next best thing. Is this for your own gains, is it every man for himself mentality? We have had too many people mess around with education for the past 30 or so years and now this. When will it end? I do hope this fails because this will ultimately mean a tierd education system in a few more years to come, its inevitable once you go down this path. As you will agree education is fundamentally important to this country and the wider world and a tierd system will mean once again the old saying the 'have's and have nots'.

On 29th September 10 Yet Another Education Professional said: I completely agree with the two previous posts submitted by education professionals. I was infuriated by your complete dismissal of the ideas and suggestions given to you by the staff and students of QK and am horrified at the prospect of free schools being run by people who think they know better. There are plenty of highly successful schools in West London and, indeed, in Acton. You may have to do what plenty of other people do and send your children to the best school in the area or move into the catchment. Stick with what you know - writing - and leave the educating to people who know what they are doing.

On 29th September 10 Teacher of Science in a Comprehensive School said: The New Curriculum provided by comprehensive schooling focuses very much on the teaching of key skills that will follow today's children through the rest of their lives. By doing this we are giving them the opportunity and tools needed to, as you say here on your website, " produce young men and women who have the confidence and the ambition -- and the self-discipline and the creativity". In my experience many of the "Classics" are still taught in our comprehensive schooling whilst also educating our new generation of the fast changing world we now live in. It is of the utmost importance that our learners are provided with this form of education in order to survive in a world where new technologies are demanding the understanding of modern culture. We are now expanding our knowledge of how people learn and in my experience "force-feeding" is not one of the techniques that our new trainee teacher are advised to implement. Finally, I would hope that the reason you would want to do this would be because it is the kind of education that the learners THEMSELVES would want and enjoy (so that they can succeed), and not because its the kind of education YOU would "like our children to receive".

On 29th September 10 West London Teacher said: This country is full of people who do not want to see others successful, fearful of the middle classes or anyone trying to do something positive. Congratulations Toby on the progress so far! So many schools are oversubscribed in London and this school aims to help, no one is forcing your kids to go this school thats the whole point we need choice! I know Acton High and its not a choice for many parents who just want to see their kids succeed. A classical education is a great opportunity and those kids do not know what is best for them, thats why they have parents!! Parents will always choose the best for their kids, the comprehensive must face that FACT.

On 29th September 10 University Lecturer said: Toby you seem to have a genuine desire for your children to do well. But is this the right reason to set up a Free School. You seem to have spent enormous amounts of energy and time creating what is your ideal school, despite, as the previous comments have highlighted, the only experience that you have is that of your own unfortunate schooling. I think that if you put the same amount of effort into encouraging and enthusing your own children then they will succeed wherever they end up going to school. The challenge with children/young adults is creating an attitude in which they want to learn. You will get no where without this. Unfortunately these days this does not occur sometimes until they are young adults and finally decide that to get on in life they need the qualification that they deemed unnecessary whilst they were at school. But as a parent myself with a full time job, I know that what I personally put into my kids in the little time I have with them is what really counts. I know this because I grew up in a very working class home and went to a mediocre comprehensive school, but have ended up doing a job I really enjoy doing simply because I had parents who encouraged me to make the most of the education that I was given.

On 29th September 10 Secondary School Tory Parent said: I ought to see the merit in what you are doing, but in all honesty I don't. The only difference between what you propose and a normal school is that you want to inject compulsory Latin and Classics into the curriculum. I kept thinking, all you need is an established secondary school with a strong board of governors and the right balance between the national and locally derived curriculum, and we already have that don't we? What really turned me off your ideas was your prescriptive reading list. I am now convinced that you get kids to read by not buying PSP's and DS's and filling the back of the car with library books of all kinds. I am the sort who really, really ought to be into free schools, but I dont see the point - why not just work to make your local school more diligent, and where needed, compliment its teaching for your own kids? I speak as one who always wants to invent my own thing rather than use someone else's, but I think a common approach in education actually works - my primary school changed 70% of its teachers in one year, and it was fine, because of the universality in approach. And my two local Comprehensives each have a distinct ethos which you cannot establish overnight. Nonetheless, good luck to you, it just may work, but the main thrust of government policy has to be to continue to make comprehensives better.

On 29th September 10 A Newly Qualified Teacher said: Last year I completed my teacher training via the GTP course. This was one of the most stressful episodes of my life so far and there were times when I wasn't sure if I had it in me to complete the course. But I did, and the reason? I am passionate about making a difference to children's education. I am passionate about engaging young people in their learning and I am passionate about encouraging them to develop their skills and talents, whether they are academically or vocationally gifted. After watching the BBC documentary about your free school I became very concerned that there was little or no mention of anyone's enthusiasm for engaging students in their learning. At one point a school was actually criticised for allowing students time to spend reading for pleasure,for the sole reason that you did not agree with the choice of book. Should we not be celebrating the fact that young people are interested in reading? I work with bottom set students who have incredibly weak literacy skills and as a result have very little,if any, interest in reading. If I walked in to see them all reading a book and engaged in the story, I would not care if it was a 'Mr.Men' book. I would simply be overjoyed to see that they have taken the initial step to overcoming the barrier to their learning. The young man who was showing you around the school made an extremely valid point, that if you 'force' students to read 'classic' literature all you are going to do is push them away. There is no place for any form of snobbery in education. The most important thing is the students and finding ways to help them develop their skills and talents. Every single young person should leave school feeling proud of their education and their achievements whatever the subject, whatever the grade. The school you seem to envisage as the future of education harks back to an extremely outdated curriculum. Where are the vocational subjects that from experience, I know that many students enjoy? Where is the opportunity for students to be allowed time for creativity and individuality? I am baffled by the inclusion of compulsory Latin, a subject that was abolished as an entry requirement for both Oxford and Cambridge Universities in 1960. You state that your school will be non-selective, however, how will a child that struggles with the English language have any chance of coping with a subject as complex and unfamiliar as Latin? Your idea of what a curriculum should look like appears to be an extremely elitist approach and it certainly does not seem that inclusion is at the heart of it. My final point is that you haven't given any discussion to the learning that takes place out of the classroom. A child's education is not just about the subjects that they do well in and the awards that they receive. It is about teaching them the life skills that they need in order to leave school as a fully rounded individual ready to make a positive contribution to society. The 'Every Child Matters' agenda and Citizenship in the curriculum ensure that this happens across all state schools. Is your school also going to make sure that this happens too? As stated on your webpage, you are trying to set up the type of school that you want your children to go to. Given the choice, would this be the same type of school that they themselves would choose?

On 30th September 10 S Gemmell said: I am a parent of a Year 6 child in Acton, and have watched Toby's journey with interest. I know only too well the pressures on school places in this part of London, and would like to add that Toby has now let us all down. He started by saying this would be a new school for Acton - he said as much to the parents and children playing football with his son's football coach in the programme last night - and now he can't find a site in Acton, he's touting himself around anywhere in West London which will have him. Which only proves he and his team had no desire to engage with the local community, they simply want their own school for their own children and their 'type' and this is what they have wanted all along. I also have it on fairly good authority that Mr Young approached a different local authority some time ago about setting up a primary school! I am also a School Governor and my professional background has led me to take on the role of Link Governor for Literacy. I cannot understand why someone who professes to have such a love of tbe English language, who works with the language (although I know many other professionals who might question his 'talent' in this area!) who has missed the fundamentals of engaging students in reading. When he was at the QK school, his assertion about 'forcing' children to read, say, 'Alice in Wonderland' completely ignored the place where many of the children are starting with their reading. He is assuming that all the children in this school (and presumably his own) will come from backgrounds where there are no books in the house. Where parents never read a book; these are children who have never been 'read to'. So, you have to start with a story that will engage and excite them, and allow them to see the joy and glory of reading for its own sake, and only THEN, once they are comfortable, familiar and confident with the idea of reading, do you, obviously, lead them to the opportunity to engage with more challenging texts. If Mr Young doesn't understand this fundamental fact about his locality and the backgrounds of the children who, according to him, he wants to 'welcome' into his school, he is setting them up to fail. Finally, if he really isn't going to employ fully qualified teachers, then this may be good enough for his own children, but it's certainly not good enough for mine.

On 30th September 10 S Gemmell said: Sorry, just realised a typo in my earlier post that doesn't make it read properly. When talking about where children start with their reading, I should have said, "He is assuming that all the children... will come from backgrounds where there ARE [] books in the house". Thank you.

On 30th September 10 S More said: During your documentary last night, you suggested that children should "effectively be force fed a diet of Classic children's literature." I think this demonstrates your complete lack of understanding of the teenage learning brain and is one of the reasons why allowing non educational professionals to set up schools is inappropriate.

On 30th September 10 An education professional said: Toby-you know nothing about educating young learners in the 21st Century. I feel sad for any young people who end up in your archaic elitist institution. I was utterly incredulous to hear u suggest that 'one of the purposes of education is to tell students what they should be interested in'? Are you going to tell your learners what to 'think' also? You are arrogant and completely out of touch. Your ambitions distress and worry me.

On 30th September 10 sophie baulch said: I've just read your curriculum and it looks great. Personally I am aiming to home educate my daughter and would certainly never send her to a school under the direction of a government body. Many people have accused Toby of arogance, but I think it is arogant to think that only those in the education industry know what they are doing. Teachers are abandoning their profession in their droves in this country, precisely because of the dictatorial style of state run education. Good Luck Toby! You don't need to win over the opinions of your dissenters. Just stick at it. You are an inspiration.

On 1st October 10 Michael Lamb said: Have you published the admissions policy yet?

On 3rd October 10 Toby Young said: Lots of people questioning the wisdom of teaching Latin here. I should emphasise that this isn't a personal quirk of mine. Latin trains children how to think logically and intuitively, an essential requirement if they’re going to excel in other subjects. There is also substantial evidence that children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking (computation, concepts and problem solving). For chapter and verse on this see A.K. De Vane, Efficacy of Latin Studies in the Information Age (http://teach.valdosta.edu/whuitt/files/latin.html)and N. Mavrogenes, Latin in the Elementary Schools: A Help for Reading and the Language Arts (http://www.jstor.org/pss/20299547).

Post a comment