Forum Topic

Filming or spying?

Why was Toby Young outside Acton High School today at lunchtime? He had a video camera and clearly required the school as the background. Curiouser and curiouser. At least he's being open and up front about his plans.

Sam O'Doyle ● 5960d23 Comments

I've also heard this from a parent I know. Perhaps another Newsnight film like the last one to mark the Queen's Speech?

Guy Fiegehen ● 5960d

Two people were sitting being filmed in discussion in Lavelli's this evening, serious talk of schools and Ealing Council as I bought my spinach roll....

Becky Bell ● 5960d

Full council tonight with the new Labour administration and confirmation as to which councillors take lead responsibility. Education will be one of the key posts. Ealing's plans for rebuilt/expanded schools and the new secondary in Greenford are under threat from the new co-alition government's cuts. Toby and his chums must feel christmas has come early. I wonder where their proposed site is? I understand that their prospective Swedish profit making partners make use of office buildings without playspace so possibly Park Royal? To be fair the steering group has had a bit of a revamp but is still terribly prosperous white middle class in make up. It will be interesting to see how the new council react to Toby and co.

Iain Muir ● 5960d

Toby's on Newsnight any minute now - maybe he will tell us.

Sara Nathan ● 5960d

three miles from his house he says in a disused school...dunno where that can be but it obviously ain't the Priory centre.Pleased to see a starring role for Lavelli's in tonight's piece.

Sara Nathan ● 5960d

Missed it, I will try IPlayer. 3 miles from his house is not within Acton, but his 'Team' range from Ealing, Chiswick, LBH&F and Notting Hill. Guesses anyone? Shame Oliver Peyton is no longer on the Team, they might have had decent school meals......

Iain Muir ● 5960d

He said the site was a disused school. My guess is that it is the old King Fahad girls school in Little Ealing Lane. Any other disused schools in Ealing approximately 3 miles from central Acton?

Phil Conran ● 5959d

Worth watching the Newsnight report on IPlayer...http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00skxgm/Newsnight_25_05_2010/ (available until June 6th, I think)Starts around 21 mins in. I thought both Toby and Ed Balls were impressive but as ever the funding and impact on existing schools remains the key point. One other thing, Toby is at pains to say that admissions will be the same for existing schools, not quite true as Academies have a quota for children meeting their specialism, which I understand has been suspect in some existing Academies.Toby also features on the BBC website today with excerpts from past features.How will our new Labour council admin react given their own plans for school rebuilding.......I will ask!Iain

Iain Muir ● 5959d

Toby has said his school will be "selective", although I am not sure what the selection criteria are as that is quite vague at present.  Therefore, it will be "free" in the sense that you won't have to pay fees.  The only other schools that are selective are the church schools (or Ellen Wilkinson which selects girls only).  AHS is NOT selective.  I am very concerned that his selction criteria will be adapted to fit the type of intake he is looking for and will not be truly comprehenaive.  I do wish he'd nail his colours to the mast and state exactly what it will be.  Or maybe they just don't know yet.

Anne Brown ● 5959d

Anne, The school won't be "selective". As I said on Newsnight, ideally I'd like to allocate places completely randomly, i.e., according to an electronic lottery.Iain, You're wrong about only Academies being able to admit 10 per cent of their pupils according to their aptitude for a specialism or combination of specialisms. All state secondary schools have that right. And it's a bit pessimistic to imagine that the funding for our school will be deducted from the £300m that Ealing's expecting under the Building Schools for the Future programme. That's by no means a foregone conclusion. Incidentally, we aren't definitely going with a Swedish commercial provider. We've had offers from 10 providers, some of them charities, and we're currently weighing up which one to go into partnership with.One last point: Bit rich to accuse me of "spying" when my whereabouts and activities are being so closely watched by posters on this forum. To paraphrase King Lear, I am more spied against than spying.

Toby Young ● 5958d

Careful Mr Young. King Lear was a vain, deluded, egotistical man who had to lose a daughter to realise the error of his ways.

Sam O'Doyle ● 5958d

Your ideals of a comprehensive with high standards are admirable, but consider the cohort of kids you will be sacrificing when you get funding for your school. Did you consider supporting the excelllent teachers and students at acton high, rather than just kneecapping them? You have the right to do what you want, but is this really the best for this area of London. Support acton high, don't actively persecute it.

Sam O'Doyle ● 5958d

Sam O, you do Acton High a disservice if you think that giving local parents more choice about where to send their children will "kneecap" the school. Claiming that Acton High is dependent for its survival on local parents having no choice but to send their children there is simply false. In many respects it's an excellent school and local parents will continue to choose it even after we've set up the West London Free School. You need to do a bit more research and familiarise yourself with Acton High's achievements before dismissing it so thoughtlessly.

Toby Young ● 5958d

Sam O, you do Acton High a disservice if you think that giving local parents more choice about where to send their children will "kneecap" the school. Claiming that Acton High is dependent for its survival on local parents having no choice but to send their children there is simply false. In many respects it's an excellent school and local parents will continue to choose it even after we've set up the West London Free School. You need to do a bit more research and familiarise yourself with Acton High's achievements before dismissing it so thoughtlessly.

Toby Young ● 5958d

Toby, last time I checked you were saying the school WOULD be selective although the criteria were slightly cloudy and I could not understand on what basis the school would be selecting.  Can you please stop moving goalposts - it would be far more helpful if you could decide on an ethos and then stick to it.  Nail your colours to the mast please.

Anne Brown ● 5958d

I've never said the school would be selective Anne. You've imagined it.

Toby Young ● 5958d

Mr Young, you artfully fail to address my points. You damn Acton High School with feint praise. It is an excellent school that has great teachers, pupils and prides itself on achieving. You fail to acknowledge that 'parents' are integral to a schools' success. Teachers, parents and students must be involved to insure achievement. You know this, otherwise, why are you setting up a 'parent-led' Free-school. I know Acton very well, and think you have chosen a misguided route that doesn't serve the community. Why won't you put your energies into Acton High?

Sam O'Doyle ● 5958d

Isn't the new school likely to be way over on the Hounslow borders? I shouldn't think Acton High has much to worry about.

Sara Nathan ● 5958d

Yup, that looks like the most probable location at this stage - nowhere near Acton High. Nothing finalised.

Toby Young ● 5958d

There's room for Acton High and the West London Free School in Ealing. In fact, we'll need several new secondary schools in the borough over the next 10 years to accommodate the anticipated increase in demand, particularly as it looks unlikely that either Hounslow or Brent will get any money from the Department for Education to build new schools, meaning they'll be sending more and more children our way. The issue isn't whether Ealing needs new schools but who should run them. I think at least one of them should be run by a group of parents and teachers.

Toby Young ● 5958d

A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that implementation of Toby schools will threaten planned investment in new schools under the building for schools programme, c.400 already completed and another 600 in planning (inc Ealing's programme) see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10187358.stm.Also interesting to hear Toby declared as a 'conservative' on 'Any Questions' last night. Yes I know he writes for the Spectator and Telegraph but I think this is him confirmed as such. Perhaps he plans to follow Boris's path into politics?

Iain Muir ● 5957d

Not "will", Iain, but "might". No decision has been made yet about where the capital funding for free schools will come from.

Toby Young ● 5956d

It is more 'ifs and buts' Toby, "Luke Sibieta, from the IFS, said it was "difficult to imagine" the government would be able to fund both projects and "something had to give somewhere". "Either they have to scale back plans for free schools or reduce building schools for the future by a substantial degree," he said.The link to the article has changed, now: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10187358.stmFinally Toby in your closing piece in the Sky debate with Polly Toynbee you used one of my arguments in reverse, saying that a free school would encourage middle class parents to stay within the state system. My version is that your school would remove middle class children from existing state schools and hence reduce their budgets, a la Michael Gove, a point the blessed Polly also made......Interesting that you define 'middle class' as those able to pay private school fees?

Iain Muir ● 5956d