Holy Trinity re-bids to become a free school

7:30am Friday 5th October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By William Tomaney

AN INDEPENDENT Kidderminster school is preparing its second application to gain free school status after its first attempt failed.

Holy Trinity International School, Birmingham Road, had originally planned to become a free school in September 2013 but its application to the Department for Education was unsuccessful.

Headteacher Pamela LeekWright said, however, she was confident the school could revisit and strengthen its application.

The school is offering the opportunity for families to register their interest in Holy Trinity becoming a free school.

Parent Susan Dilley said: “My son and daughter have just started this term but already we have seen a great improvement in their personal confidence and self-esteem, engaging more in lessons and wanting to talk about what they’ve studied at school that day, which is wonderful.

“Part of the attraction of going to the school was their pastoral care delivered by experienced staff in a school which has a real family atmosphere and attains high academic standards.

“We are delighted to support their application to become a free school as it will offer many more local families greater educational opportunities, as it has done for our children.”

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Another parent, Richard Guinan, said by becoming a free school, Holy Trinity would be able to play an “important role”

in the community by sharing its facilities.

However, Liberal councillor Fran Oborski, lead opposition spokesman on education for Worcestershire County Council, said she did not see the need for a secondary free school in the area.

“I do not believe it is needed or justified,” she said.

“While we do have a shortage of primary school places in the area, we have a massive surplus capacity at secondary level so there is absolutely no need for a secondary free school here.

“If Holy Trinity were to succeed it would be required to take its share of pupils of different abilities, including difficult pupils. I do not believe a one form entry school with 22 places in a year group can ever adequately cope with a wide range of pupils.”

Holy Trinity will be holding an open morning at the school on Saturday from 10am until noon.

Comments(18)

Gobby Robby says...
9:50am Fri 5 Oct 12

Here we go again. Has the 'School for Scroungers' got no shame? Prepare yourself for the awful parents who will come on here bemoaning that they're not sure they'll be able to pay next year's fees so that's a good enough reason for the hard pressed tax payer to foot the bill.
Well one of the many reasons for this traversty of morality & good sense not to happen wasn't made the last time. If one private school is made a free school what is to stop all the rest from applying? It wouldn't be fair for the parents of one private school to get their fees paid by the state while other private school parents have to keep paying. If this goes through then we'll end up paying for the lot, who much would that cost???? With David Cameron about to give a cheque for £40,000 to each millionaire in the country there's a good chance that they'll get the people to pay the richs' school fees aswell.
If this goes ahead Wyre Forest could well set a precedent for the whole country in what would be one of the most obnoxious and socially irresponsible things that this government has done. It has to be stopped. Don't let Wyre Forest be a centre of shame once again.

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Steph B says...
5:58pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Looks like the parents have been warned to stay quiet lest they drag the school down any further than last time Lol ;-)

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Gobby Robby says...
6:34pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Looks that way. I imagine the schools leaders and business managers were furious with the parents last time, they did the school no favours whatsoever.

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emjaypee says...
9:10pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Be interesting to see how they disguise their cherry picking approach to selection. Last time someone I know enquired then told their child will be in the top 8. Suddenly they were then down to 12th. Most likely because some brighter individuals had since made an enquiry.

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Jon D says...
9:22pm Fri 5 Oct 12

HTS can only be supported as a Free School by taking money from the funding for other schools. The over-supply of school places, which is likely to arise could force the closure of, or job loss in, other neighbouring schools. This is state sponsored segregation of pupils and I am surprised that HTS has had the audacity to reapply. Very sad news.

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Jon D says...
9:30pm Fri 5 Oct 12

Yes I know someone too who was politely shown the door, not to mention the others who posted on the Shuttle last time who said the same thing. I found the most amusing comment coming from someone on the 'inside' who said HTS shouldn't feel bad as they should be encouraged by all the private school children who'd applied! They were that stupid (or worse - arrogant) they hadn't realised they'd let the cat out of the bag. It meant parents' kids at other private schools were trying to switch so that they'd get their 'privileged' education free on the back of the tax payer! Thus proving GR's initial point.

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Dynamite Dawson says...
11:14am Sat 6 Oct 12

The County seems to have gone crazy recently!!!

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Jon D says...
6:51pm Sat 6 Oct 12

Recently? ;-)

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manifeellikeawoman says...
11:33pm Sat 6 Oct 12

Don't think everybody should be slagging off the people that already pay for HTIS out of choice, not all existing parents welcome the free school status, some of us actually want it kept just as it is thanks very much!

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khfc says...
1:18pm Sun 7 Oct 12

The thought of riff-raff being let in too much?

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Lawana1 says...
5:46pm Sun 7 Oct 12

As an existing parent, I would like to see the school remain Independent. I fear the school will lose it's 'small family feel'and fail to see how the ethos of the school will remain if class sizes increase. Having said this, I support the school 100% as it has provided a second to none learning experience for my child whom is happy and content at the school.

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manifeellikeawoman says...
6:21pm Sun 7 Oct 12

khfc wrote:
The thought of riff-raff being let in too much?
Well, now you mention it ...........

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FranOb says...
7:49pm Sun 7 Oct 12

As a Free School HTIS would be obliged to take its share of "difficult" or "hard to place" pupils.
I seriously do not think the staff would be able to cope with such pupils and as a former teacher I do not believe a one form entry school with 22 in a class would ever be able to cope with the full ability range.
I totally understand the concerns of those parents of pupils currently at the school who do not support the bid to become a free school.

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emjaypee says...
8:11pm Sun 7 Oct 12

Hence the cherry picking as I mentioned before. It's ok saying they are obliged, but the reality is they will make it look like they are following the rules but still pick & choose.

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Jon D says...
8:53pm Sun 7 Oct 12

Nice to hear from another kind of parent on here for a change, actually admitting to the fact that they don't want 'the riff raff' in i.e the general public, fair enough. It is not just one or two difficult pupils HTS would have to place but open up the whole school to the general public if it is to be a genuine 'free school', something that we all know isn't going to happen. Evidence from other free schools suggest that pupils are indeed cherry picked which would mean if HTS were successful the taxpayer would be paying the fees of private school pupils, or subsidising parents who want their children segregated from the general public. I think the vast majority of people see this lamentable application for what it is, an outrage against common sense and decency.

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HowardM says...
11:30am Mon 8 Oct 12

So - here we go again! The County cuts services because the Government reduce their rebate and don't let them increase council tax. The school rebuilding programme is scrapped, which, as a legacy from Labour, has just completed the fabulous rebuild at St Georges Primary and which would have benefitted other schools in Wyre Forest. The Govt is cutting benefits, pensions, NHS, education, in fact everything, because the country is "skint." Then this private, independent school which selects its pupils currently on the parents ability to pay high fees wants a Government subsidy so it can become a "free" school to benefit just whom? I support the freedom of choice and the right of parents to chose where they educate their children. But in the same way that private medicine shouldn't deflect funding and care to the disadvantage of NHS patients, then neither should private education deflect funding (that should be going direct to state run schools) to the benefit of those who can afford to pay. I sincerely hope HTS fails in its second bid.

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Stephen Brown says...
12:18pm Mon 8 Oct 12

If HTS is successful in its bid for free school status, it will result in funding being taken away from other schools. That is the nature of this Govt's entire programme as it attempts to drive LA schools into the 'private' sector with its free schoool and academy process. And of course, there is only so much money in the schools funding pot so more drain equals less for everyone else.

So, that on top of further cuts in welfare the Govt now proposes for the least well off is scandalous; proving this is a Govt for the wealthy of the wealthy.

I fail to see therefore how this cannot negatively impact on surrounding schools, or how HTS would be truly 'open' to a more mixed intake.

I hope therefore this bid fails.

Far from returning schools to local communities as they claim, the Govt policy is in effect doing the opposite. eg: lack of transparency, lack of local accountability, propping up political ideology with state cash that benefits the few. Not to mention they are only answerable to the secretary of state.

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Jerome K says...
4:30pm Wed 10 Oct 12

I always found parents who sent their children to minor private schools were insecure about their intellectual genetic inheritance ;-)

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