Coalition turns on itself as Tory and Lib Dem councillors protest against new independent schools
‑A flagship government policy has provoked a grassroots revolt against the coalition, with senior Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors lining up to attack the introduction of free schools, one of education secretary Michael Gove's most cherished projects.
Gove believes that a new generation of "independent state schools" with small classes and firm discipline will reduce inequality in England's education system. The schools are led by parents or teachers, and 16 have been given initial approval to open next September.
Coalition councillors are fighting the education secretary's plans, claiming that they threaten to wreck social harmony by creating ethnic or religious enclaves and will disrupt efforts to improve the lives of all children.
Cllr Les Lawrence, the Conservative cabinet member for children's services in Birmingham, said the proposed schools were "deeply worrying" because they threatened a consensus "whereby all faiths are taught in schools [in religious education lessons], irrespective of the primary faith".
A Sikh faith-based school was keen to co-operate with the council, but other free school campaigners had caused concern, he said. "Some of the individuals that are involved have set out to denigrate other schools. The city council has raised concerns about community cohesion. It is an exclusive, not an inclusive type of education that they would provide, not the kind of comprehensive ethos we have developed in this city."
Tory-led Bromley council says a local free school proposal will waste money and harm other schools by creating needless extra places.
The schools provider behind the Bromley proposal, the Harris Federation, which operates a chain of academies in south London, was invited to speak ahead of Gove at this year's Tory party conference, where their chief executive highlighted the planned new school and attacked the "bureaucracy and interference" of councils. This year, schools in the Harris Federation saw striking improvements in their GCSE results.
Gillian Pearson, director of children and young people's services for Bromley, said: "We're not saying there shouldn't be one on our patch, but where's the business case for building a free school that really isn't needed?"
But Fiona Murphy, a mother of three who has led a campaign to bring Harris to Beckenham, said the plan was a response to a poorly performing local comprehensive, Kelsey Park. She said: "The council can stop it in terms of Harris taking over Kelsey Park. They can't stop the free school application at all. All Harris want to do is improve chances, free the teachers there, free the kids there, get the school oversubscribed rather than undersubscribed." You just need to look at the results – it's a fantastic opportunity for Beckenham.
"It's a key Conservative manifesto policy, and we've got a Conservative council blocking it," she added. "All this is about is politics from start to finish. No one's thinking about what's best for children."
Other free schools have come under fire from Liberal Democrats, who are campaigning against a parent-led school planned in Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, claiming that the school's catchment area will be set to exclude a neighbouring town with a substantial Asian population. During the election, Gove and David Cameron attended a rally in support of the Yorkshire campaigners.
Kath Pinnock, leader of the Lib Dem group on Kirklees council, said: "[Free schools] can draw their own catchment areas. This is quite a diverse area, but it is diverse in pockets. This new school is in a more or less 100% white area. Less than half a mile down the road is the town of Batley, where 50% of the population are of British Asian [origin]."
She says small free schools are not sustainable in urban areas because they struggle to attract specialist teachers, who prefer bigger schools where there is greater opportunity for promotion. "We might be in a coalition with Conservatives in central government, but our party does not support free schools, and we are therefore able to campaign against it," she said.
The Harris Federation insisted it had good relationships with all the local authorities where their academies are based. Chief executive Dan Moynihan said: "As educators, the schooling we provide is our number-one priority, and this is what counts for parents too. Bromley council may call us an island, but parents in their borough see us as a safe shore."
A government source said: "Where local schools are failing pupils, where there is parental demand for change and where there is a clear need for new school places, we will do everything we can to support high-quality free school proposals."