Private heads 'too frightened of losing pupils to help free schools'

12 April 2012

Independent schools are failing to help local people set up free schools because they are threatened by them, it was claimed today.

Toby Young, who launched London's first secondary free school last month, said that if headteachers at private schools "take their charitable mission seriously" they have a moral duty to help people like him, even though they risk losing some of their own pupils in the process.

David Cameron has urged elite establishments such as his old school Eton - set up as a charity to educate poorer children - to start running academies and free schools.

Meanwhile, David Levin, head of City of London Boys' School, is encouraging colleagues in private schools to take failing primaries under their wing.

Mr Young today told a conference of headteachers at the top 250 independent schools in the country that he wanted to "appeal to their consciences".

He said: "The reason independent schools, with a few exceptions, have been slow to respond to the policy is because they are worried about competition.

"But if they take their charitable mission seriously then they should do as much as they can to extend the opportunity of a really good education to as many people as possible.

"Many independent schools offer children a classical, liberal education and if they believe in that they should make it available to everyone."

Mr Young said private schools could help applicants with their business plans, give advice on how a school is run, or even set up a free school by themselves.

He praised teachers at Eton for helping him put plans together for the West London Free School, which opened in Hammersmith last month.

Mr Levin has helped create 72 bursaries for state school sixth former to attend private schools, but now plans to concentrate on younger pupils.

He wants to pair well known public schools with under-performing state primaries to boost results.

He said: "I am conscious that bursaries only benefit a relatively small number of pupils but this way we could improve educational attainment across an entire under-performing primary school.

"The reason we are focusing on primary schools is because the gap between the rich and the poor widens exponentially between the ages of three and 10.

"We feel we could do most good adopting primary schools and trying to improve students and instil a love of school and scholarship before they get to secondary school."

Mr Levin has formed the Primary Schools Academies Project, a group of like-minded headteachers who have all expressed an interest in sponsoring a school.

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