May 18 2007
Choice and diversity of schools
The quickest way to offer hope to pupils going to poor performing shcools would be to make all schools independent, with the state offering to pay fees up to a sensible limit to preserve everyone’s right to a "free" education. Schools could adopt one of several structures for going independent - educational charity, not for profit company etc. The only thing they could not do would be to cease offering education to sell the assets for their own profit. Schools that had to close for lack of pupils would surrender the school property or the proceeds from its sale back to the state.
This would end apartheid between independent and state schools, allow parents to top up state fees if they wished, and provide the freedom to all schools to strive for the best to attract more pupils.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
“The only thing they could not do would be to cease offering education to sell the assets for their own profit. ”
So what would happen to underperforming schools that don’t attract many pupils? Presumably under this scheme the schools that under perform would lose pupils and if the situation persisted have to close eventually. This would usually entail selling off whatever assets they owned, but if they are barred from doing that what would happen?