Blog Post #1 England's first free schools open their doors to pupils

Krystal Benson

September 1, 2011

9:40 pm

Who would ever think, that someone would be upset with a free education? Well, according to Mary Bousted, the General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) in England, “The free school policy is completely undemocratic and a huge waste of public money...” She feels that the government money used to fund these schools could have been used to help with something more beneficial to education, especially during this season of cutbacks. Along with Ms. Bousted’s doubts, teaching unions and other critics feel that creating these free schools was nothing but trouble. They fear that it will take a vast majority of their students and soon bring a division within the state education system.

Mr. Greatrex, the leader of the free school's governing body and also a huge supporter for the free schools believes that the plans they will implement will help get students prepared for the future. Teachers will be in charge of tracking the progress of their students on a daily basis and if the students aren’t making enough progress in school, they have the opportunity to take extra lessons later on in the day and get extra help. Their goal is to use every opportunity possible to teach the students. So, even during after school activities there will be some form of learning taking place.

I see this as a great opportunity for families who may not have the monies to pay for schooling, or parents who would like more for their child on a one on one level. Never did I think that free schooling would cause a controversy. I feel that once school officials in England see how effective the schools can be, then they will stop with the criticism. One of the things that I read in the text and learned from experience, is that an inclusive education is one that will allow students the opportunity to excel. Therefore, with the school being accepting of all faiths and teaching the students to be kind to all people, it will develop their skills even more. This article allowed me to see that everything we have here in the United States, even the little things as far as free education, should not be taken for granted.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14731677