Forum Topic

Sweden set to Scrap Free Schools

The Swedes are set to abandon their 15 year experiment with Free Schools.Mona Sahlin the leader of the Swedish Democrats has said the following:"The free school system, implemented without imposing clear standards, has seen schools opening with sub-standard facilities, often without libraries, and with a far greater number of unqualified teachers.What's more, the introduction of free schools has led to increased segregation where pupils from the same social background increasingly concentrate in certain attractive free schools.This matters because segregation and poorer facilities serve no-one but the Conservatives seem to specifically think that these "freedoms" are positive aspects of the policy. This is a serious mistake."So then Toby with the Swedes bailing on the experiment can you provide any successful examples or will you press on regardless?Maybe you can get Michael Gove to put a bit of spin on the story.

Colin Carroll ● 5983d10 Comments

Colin,You seem to be misinformed.  The quotes that you use seem to be part of an article that appeared on the Guardian Newspaper website on Sunday.  Mona Sahlin has said that she would like to make changes if her party win the general election in Sweden in September.  That is not the same as saying the Swedes are set to abandon their free schools policy. Obviously it will be more difficult for her to make her argument stick in Sweden if Britain adopts the free school system and so she is trying to affect our general election so that she may find it easier to gain power in Sweden.  Even ignoring the obvious bias of her article her arguments are filled with vague generalities that might well disintegrate under any sort of scrutiny.  For example, I saw in Stockholm an amzing school that was ranked one of the top in the area.  It didn't have a library.  It did have a massively integrated school wide information hub and online resource centre.  Perhaps she was referring to this school?  The free schools policy is an important topic to debate and understand.  There is evidence from Sweden that can be made to support either side of the argument, and the nature of education is that you can never have a do-over and see if an alternative system would have worked better.  I think we need to be wary, though, of individuals skewing the debate for political reasons and should seek to identify that bias where it exists.

Charlie Ben-Nathan ● 5982d

To quote the Guardian article:"In a damning piece for the Guardian's Comment is Free site today, Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Social Democratic party leader, says her country is about to abandon the school reforms the Tories want to install in Britain. Unusually intervening in a foreign election, Sahlin says: "The free school system, implemented without imposing clear standards, has seen schools opening in sub-standard facilities, often without libraries, and with a far greater number of unqualified teachers."Whether or not she is showing her political bias the Free Schools in Sweden are under increasing scrutiny and they are not the success that you and Toby profess them to be.It is interesting that a politician from a main stream Swedish party is advocating for their reform How can you say that the Swedes will keep them if we vote in a Conservative govt, which at this juncture is not likely, I think that the Swedes are independently minded enough to make their own decisions.I am not misinformed on the subject I have based my opinion on reading many articles on the subject, the more I read the less I am convinced about the Free School system. Can you also tell me why there does not seem to be anyone on your steering committee who comes from the South Acton Estate or from a similar social background?Would not they have have a valuable input? Or is it, as evidence from Sweden suggests that it is the students of the more affluent and motivated parents who are educated at the Free Schools.The Swedes are finding that the Free Schools are also leading to increased social segregation, looking at your committee, such allegations could be leveled at you. Maybe this is why Mona Sahlin has called for an end to the system, it does not sit too well with the egalitarian Swedes .If you had cast iron proof that what you propose is a successful model then you would have my support but I am very sceptical.

Colin Carroll ● 5982d

I apologise Colin, I was being charitable in saying that you were misinformed.  The alternative is to suppose that your leader “Sweden set to scrap free schools”, which is the topic title, is a deliberate attempt to mislead Acton residents.  I was pointing out that Sweden, the country, is not planning on abandoning free schools.  At no point in Mona's article does she say that her party plans to reverse the free school reforms.You also suggest that because nobody on the steering committee comes from South Acton Estate this school will be a preserve of the middle classes.  Do you actually believe that Virgin trains are used solely by bearded balloon enthusiasts?  The make up of the group looking to set up the school should not be an indication of the school’s demographics. We have made it absolutely clear that we want our school’s intake to replicate the intakes of all our neighbouring schools.  We want at least 25% children on free school meals if that is the borough average.You also ask why no one from the South Acton Estate or a similar background is on the steering committee, as if we’ve set up some middle class cabal.  We have been as open as we can be to anybody who wants to have an input on this project.  We’ve gone into the public domain and organised local debates as well as political discussions.  Possibly we have no one of that background on our committee because some people are going round saying that we are trying to create a middle class enclave that their children will be excluded from.Can I make it crystal clear now that if anybody from the South Acton Estate, or anywhere else, would like to play a constructive part in the founding of this school can they please get in contact with me or Toby.  They don’t even have to have children that they want to send to the school, many people on our steering committee don’t!

Charlie Ben-Nathan ● 5982d

Charlie you might be a touch myopic the Guardian article leading to the CIF article states the following:"In a damning piece for the Guardian's Comment is Free site today, Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Social Democratic party leader, says her country is about to abandon the school reforms the Tories want to install in Britain. Unusually intervening in a foreign election, Sahlin says: "The free school system, implemented without imposing clear standards, has seen schools opening in sub-standard facilities, often without libraries, and with a far greater number of unqualified teachers."Abandoned? Scrapped ? It is up to you. Sahlin asks us not to make the same mistakes as Sweden. "You also ask why no one from the South Acton Estate or a similar background is on the steering committee, as if we’ve set up some middle class cabal"That's exactly what you like at the moment and it is a valid observation, seeing as you see yourself as community school.I agree, your committee may not reflect the school's final demographic but you might benefit with the input from someone with a different perspective than the present members. Glad that you cleared up the question of under representation from other parts of the community I look forward to one of Toby's press conferences to announce their arrival."Do you actually believe that Virgin trains are used solely by bearded balloon enthusiasts? "Yes! Just like I believe in the tooth fairy and Father Christmas.I am still not convinced that the Free school system is the success that you say it will be and as local tax payer I should be able to express my doubts. If leading politicians in Sweden are expressing doubts about the success of the system and that includes those working in education, should not more searching questions be asked with regards to your proposals.

Colin Carroll ● 5982d

Colin,You are absolutely corect in your reply.  I think our bone of contention is that the Guardian says that she is going to abandon the school reforms whereas she herself does not.  I guess the Guardian might have a political agenda as well.We definitely welcome all searching questions. We've asked ourselves as many as we can think of and put a hell of a lot of work into this project already.  It is through debate and constructive argument that we can advance our thinking.  If you can think of new questions then please do ask them.You asked earlier for cast iron proof that what we propose will be a successful model.  I would put it back to you asking can you give cast iron proof that the status quo is really the best way to improve standards in education?Obviously, you don't have to agree with us, but please believe me when I say that we are all genuinely trying to create a school that will serve the whole community.

Charlie Ben-Nathan ● 5982d

I think it's dangerous to suggest that debate is great, but opposition, or even scepticism, of a 'political' nature equals bias. The truth is that a fundamental restructuring of our school system is, in itself, political in nature, with wide ramifications for society beyond education. The response of a lot of people to such an issue will be 'political', one way or another, and people will look to political parties to reflect that debate and take a firm view. Fair play, I'd say. It's clear from Toby's hustings report that this process in the UK has quite a way to go, but it seems wholly legitimate for a major Swedish party to take a position critical of the free school system, whether or not she proposes to abolish it, given the experience on the ground in that country. Perhaps all will become clearer after Friday, but some of the words of Mona Sahlin struck me as central to the debate on the local proposal, such as it is. She said: "...the introduction of free schools has led to increased segregation where pupils from the same social background increasingly concentrate in certain attractive free schools." My own view is that, not only does this echo the fears of opponents of the Acton scheme, it also reflects the unspoken hope of many of its supporters (if not of its organisers).

Steve Donnelly ● 5981d

"I think it's dangerous to suggest that debate is great, but opposition, or even scepticism, of a 'political' nature equals bias."This is not what I am saying at all.  It is perfectly possible to have a view without biasing your arguments.  We have always been open and said that there are arguments and data on both sides of the debate.  It is not helpful when arguments are presented as definitive when they are not, or misrepresented for political gain.We have seen a newspaper leader suggest that the Swedes will abandon the free schools when the person who they they then print (Mona) says no such thing.  We have also had assertions put forward (by Mona) that free schools increase social segregation when there have been quite detailed studies done that show no evidence of increased segregation.  I presume that Mona is also quoting from a study, but she doesn't give a reference.  There is evidence on both sides.  In a debating competition it is entirely valid to put forward your own point of view and withhold counter evidence to win the contest.  But this isn't a debating competition this is a decision that is possibly going to decide the future of many of our children.  I think we should all have correct information so we can make the best possible decision.Example evidence:http://www.ifn.se/Wfiles/wp/WP578.pdf

Charlie Ben-Nathan ● 5981d

"We have seen a newspaper leader suggest that the Swedes will abandon the free schools when the person who they they then print (Mona) says no such thing.  We have also had assertions put forward (by Mona) that free schools increase social segregation when there have been quite detailed studies done that show no evidence of increased segregation.  I presume that Mona is also quoting from a study, but she doesn't give a reference.  There is evidence on both sides."Per Thulberg, Director General of the Swedish National Agency for Education told Liz McKean of BBC Newsnight the following:"This competition between schools that was one of the reasons for introducing the new schools, has not led to better results," he said. "The lesson is that it's not easy to find a way to continue school improvement."It was noticed a few years ago that standards across all schools were slipping.Perplexed, the Swedes carried out international comparative studies, as well as detailed national research, which confirmed the decline.It is not understood why, but the slide began at around the time the schools were introduced."The students in the new schools they have in general better standards, but it has to do with their parents, their backgrounds. They come from well-educated families," Mr Thulberg said.""So, not only are standards generally down, there are strong indications that the new schools have increased social segregation." Liz McKeanSo there are some concerns from Sweden's director of education about the benefits of their Free School system and not just Mona. Such concerns must be brought to a wider audience. Free Schools probably are not the magic pill to cure our educational ills.

Colin Carroll ● 5981d

Colin, I interviewed Per Thulberg in his office in Stockholm earlier this year. His argument that educational standards have fallen in Sweden since the passing of the free school reforms depends not on comparing the grades of Swedish school leavers now with those of 10 years ago – they have risen considerably – but by comparing Sweden's position in the PISA league tables. In 2000, for instance, Sweden was ranked 9th for reading, 15th for maths and 10th for science; in 2006, it was ranked 10th for reading, 21st for maths and 22nd for science.It would be unreasonable to claim the reason for Sweden's decline in the league tables is due to the free school reforms. It's mainly due to the fact that standards in other countries, such as Singapore and South Korea, have improved at a much faster rate. Who's to say Sweden's ranking wouldn't have fallen further if it wasn't for the introduction of free schools? In any event, Sweden's schools compare favourably with those of the UK. For reading we have dropped from 7 to 17th in the PISA league tables, for maths from 8th to 24th and for science from 4th to 14th in the same time period. All this while successive Labour governments have spent billions on "improving" our schools.As for the argument that free schools appeal more to educated parents and therefore lead to increased social segregation, Charlie is right to say there's research that can be quoted to support both sides. However, one thing to bear in mind is that the admissions policy of Swedish free schools is first come, first serve. At one point, we considered this, but we've now rejected it after listening to the arguments of local people who were concerned that the school might become a "middle class ghetto". We've now decided that the admissions policy of the West London Free School should be more or less identical to that of the neighbouring comprehensives. As a result, we hope our intake will reflect the social and ethnic diversity of the area. Believe me when I say that's what we all want,  including the 500 or so local parents who have expressed an interest in sending their children to the school.Of course, you're right to say we need to do more to inform people from the poorer parts of the borough about the West London Free School and the sort of education it can offer their children. I've done some work in that regard, but I intend to do more once we've nailed down a site and we know when the school will be open. If you know of anyone from the South Acton estate who would like to join our Steering Committee, please tell them to email me on newfreeschool@googlemail.com. Their advice on how to raise awareness of our project on the estate would be invaluable.Like Charlie, I welcome debate and I'll be organising more public meetings where we can thrash these issues out over the next few months. I hope to see you at one of them.

Toby Young ● 5980d

I am just conveying the message from different sources.The first from the Guardian could be seen as  a biased opinion but the BBC quote was hopefully to show a a similar opinion from a more balanced source.Since you raise the subject of admissions have you  contemplated what would happen if your own children fail to gain admission to the Free School. What is your fall back position? Or is that nightmare to scary to think about is like Chelsea losing to Wigan on Sunday?

Colin Carroll ● 5979d