Norwich’s Free School: Your questions answered

One of the first Free Schools in the country opens in Norwich this September.

They’re part of a government drive to give more autonomy to parents and teachers who see a need for a different sort of school in their area.

But they have caused some controversy.

To understand more about the school, we put ten key questions to their principal, Tania Sidney-Roberts.

1.       How can you afford class sizes of 24?

We were limited to class sizes of 24 by regulations determining the number of pupils permitted per meter square of floor space in a primary school. Through outsourcing PE provision to NCFC and through having no large annual grounds maintenance costs as a result of this, we have been able to fund our smaller class sizes. We have also opted for a much lighter management structure, so that a greater proportion of our annual budget can be directed at funding smaller classes.

2.       Why have you chosen to open with just 96 pupils?

We took advice from the DfE and from Norfolk LEA about this. Both recommended that we start with the younger year groups and build the school up year on year from there. This would enable us to get to know each child really well from an early age and is an approach which has worked well in other new primary schools opening around the country. We also had a much greater demand for places in September 2011 from parents of children in the lower primary years and so were confident that these were the appropriate years to start with to meet demand.

3.       How is the Free School funded and how much has it cost so far?

The Free School Norwich is funded directly by the Department of Education and not by Norfolk County Council. We receive exactly the same amount of per pupil funding as any other state funded primary school however, based upon the number of pupils on role. The total cost of The Free School Norwich amounts to approx one tenth of the total cost of building a brand new primary school, such as the new Cringleford Primary School in Norwich.

This includes everything:  the building costs, IT system and resources, curriculum resources and equipment, furniture, lead-in costs, admissions costs, administration costs and staffing costs pre-opening. It proved to be much more cost effective to convert an existing building like Kings House into a primary school than to opt for a new build. Kings House was also ideal for conversion to a primary school, so the conversion costs were incredibly low.

4.       How much will the holiday club cost, in comparison to other local schools?

Squirrels Extended School costs £2.80 per hour on school days, £14.40 for a full day during the school holidays and £20.00 for a full day on a Saturday (we hope to bring this down as more families begin to use the Saturday facility). Costs include all supervised activities, a healthy hot meal and all snacks. Other schools vary in cost, so it is hard to compare ours with theirs. When we researched other childcare providers in Norwich last autumn however, the average cost per hour was approx £5.00.

5.       How much will private companies be involved in the school, in terms of sponsorship?

We have received offers of sponsorship from several companies, mostly directed at Squirrels, as they support the working family ethos of the school. Sponsors will be named on a ‘Sponsors Board’ in our Main Entrance Foyer and will receive a small package of benefits, such as their names or logo in our new prospectus. They will play no part in the management or running of the school or Squirrels.

6.       Do you see your school as being used as a model for other Free Schools in the country?

I have read in some newspapers recently that the Government would like to see The Free School Norwich used as the model for many more future primary schools in the country. We clearly offer a service which modern day parents need and so yes, if the model works for parents, I would like to see more of these kind of schools created.

7.       In time, will the growth of Free Schools diminish the role of local authorities in education?

Free Schools are about offering parents more choice and variety of service. The Free School Norwich offers a particular kind of service for modern day working families to specifically meet their needs. We have chosen to work in partnership with our local authority, as they offer some excellent services which we wish to make use of. I do not think that the role of local authorities will be diminished because of Free Schools. They offer a very good range of services which all schools can make use of to ensure that our children are given the best possible start in life.

8.       Do you think we will see many more Free Schools set up across the country – and where might you site a second Free School in Norwich?

We are already seeing lots of groups submitting proposals for Free Schools across the country. The Free School Norwich is designed to meet the needs and preferences of modern day working families and so, were we to expand, the location would again be fairly central, as this is where the majority of the jobs are for people in Norwich.

9.   Will you employ unqualified teachers?

No – definitely not. All of our teachers, Teaching Assistants and Squirrels staff are fully qualified for their roles and all are enhanced CRB checked. We carried out a very robust recruitment process to ensure that we employed the very best possible staff for our children. All of our staff will also be paid according to national pay scales and all will have the same pension rights as staff in local authority schools.

10. How will The Free School Norwich be held to account as a school?

Free Schools have to comply with the same legal requirements and regulations as local authority schools. We are OFSTED inspected in the same way and have to publish our SATs results in the same way as local authority schools. All Free Schools have to pass a pre-opening OFSTED inspection before opening, which The Free School Norwich did successfully in mid-August.

Tags: Chapelfield, City Centre, Education, schools

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