Nursery World - Analysis: A problem of scale?

Some primary free schools are taking advantage of their greater powers to offer nursery provision and more experiential curricula.

But critics say growth of these schools undermines state education, says Ruth Thomson.

Pupils at Barrow 1618 burst cheering through a big paper banner to signal the official opening of their free school, one of 55 such schools to open this term. The 70-place school in this small Shrophire village is a very local solution to a local problem, but its opening comes against a mounting national debate on the free school programme and its future direction.

State-funded but outside local authority control, free schools have been highly controversial from the get-go. Like academies, they have greater powers than LA-run schools over their curriculum, opening times and staff pay and conditions, and cannot be academically selective. To supporters, they represent a model for driving up standards in education; to critics, they undermine the state education system (see box).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included