Cambridgeshire heads meet Gove to discuss low funding

Cambridgeshire newspapers Ely Standard and Cambridge News both reported that Cambridgeshire headteachers had met with Michael Gove saying that: 'According to recent figures, Cambridgeshire has been receiving the lowest school block funding per pupil out of all of the 151 local authorities, which has resulted in larger class sizes and fewer qualifications among teachers.'

Councils vs academies over who should sustain service grant cuts

Councils have said that academies should bear the brunt of a proposed 20% cut to the Education Services Grant. The Local Government Chronicle reported: 'The basic local authority ESG rate for 2014-15 is £113 per pupil in mainstream community schools. Academies receive an additional “transitional protection” of £27, meaning a £140 rate per pupil... London Councils (and Sigoma)...(urged government) to remove the protections “at the earliest opportunity” to equalise funding for all schools.'

Faith cap limits Catholic investment in academies and free schools

From the TES: http://news.tes.co.uk/b/news/2014/02/04/catholics-cannot-invest-in-free-schools-and-academies-if-50-per-cent-faith-admissions-stays-says-mp.aspx

Mark Hoban, MP said: “Unfortunately, there is a cap on faith-based admissions, which inhibits the willingness of Catholics to sponsor a new academy or free school, and therefore limits the diversity of academies or free schools”

Should free schools win friends and influence people? Fulham Boys

From Get West London: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/questions-raised-over-tory-councillors-6558788

'A Hammersmith and Fulham councillor is denying suggestions that her friendship with the founder of a free school was the reason she voted to close a primary school'

The paper reports Councillor Georgie Cooney replying: 'Being the cabinet member for education, I have many friendships with people who work in the borough’s schools.'

She was one of eight councillors who took the decision at a meeting to close Sulivan Primary School which could be demolished to make way for a permanent home for Fulham Boys.

London free school accused of lobbying against existing primary

Get West London: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/threatened-primary-accuses-free-school-6394185


"A threatened primary school has accused a free school of lobbying to take over its site before the council has made a decision on whether to close it. Sulivan Primary School has been fighting plans by Hammersmith and Fulham Council to merge it with nearby New King’s in Fulham....

"The council said from the outset that although a vacant Sulivan site could be used by Fulham Boys, the consultation was solely about tackling low admissions at Sulivan and New King’s."