§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which schools have been selected for the Fresh Start programme; which schools continue to be part of the programme; which schools have failed or been recommended for closure; and what are the costs for each school associated with the programme. [HL2407]
§ Baroness BlackstoneFresh Start is not a programme but an option for local education authorities to tackle failure. A Fresh Start requires the closure of a "failing" school and the opening of a new school on the same site. It offers a radical approach to securing school improvement for failing schools showing insufficient evidence of recovery.
Fresh Start policy is at its infancy—only 15 schools have undergone a Fresh Start to date, 11 secondary and four primary. Three opened in September 1998, eight in September 1999, two in January 2000, one in April 2000 and one in May 2000.
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New School Name Former School Name Phase LEA Area September 1998 Firfield Community School Blakelaw School Secondary Newcastle Fir Vale School Earl Marshall School Secondary Sheffield Regis County Secondary The King's CE School Secondary Wolverhampton September 1999 East Brighton College of Media Arts The Marina High School Secondary Brighton Islington Arts and Media George Orwell School Secondary Islington Kingswood High School Perronet Thompson School Secondary Kingston upon Hull Telegraph Hill Hatcham Wood School Secondary Lewisham
New School Name Former School Name Phase LEA Area Bishopsford Community School Watermeads High School Secondary Merton River Leen School Alderman Derbyshire School Secondary Nottingham City New Parks Community College New College Secondary Leicester City Langham School Park View Academy Secondary Haringey January 2000 Manor Oak Primary Kevington Primary School Primary Bromley The Richard Heathcote Community Primary Heathcote County Primary Primary Staffordshire April/May 2000 New Christ Church CE VC Primary Christ Church CEVC Primary Primary Reading Goose Green Primary Grove Vale Primary Primary Southwark At the end of the spring term 2000, 446 schools were deemed to be "failing" and in need of special measures. A Fresh Start is planned for eight of these schools by the local education authorities concerned in September 2000. The schools are in Sheffield, Bristol, Hackney, Bournemouth, Essex, Stockport and Northamptonshire.
So far, local education authorites have met the costs associated with the Fresh Start process using a variety of existing funding sources, including the Standards
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New School Name Former School Name Phase School Address LEA Area Head's Name School Tel. Dale Closed Dale of Fresh Start Firfield Community School Blakelaw School Sec Firfield Road, Newcastle Upon TyneNE5 3HU Newcastle Russ Wallace 0191 286 3211 31 Aug 98 01 Sep98 Fir Vale School Earl Marshal School Sec Earl Marshal Road, Sheffield S4 8LA Sheffield Hugh Howe 0114 243 9391 31 Aug 98 01 Sep98 East Brighton College of Media Arts The Marina High School Sec Wilson Avenue, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 5PB Brighton Clive Frost 01273 692 471 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 Islington Arts and Media George Orwell School Sec Turfe Road, London N4 3LS Islington Dr John Hudson 020 7281 5511 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 Kingswood High School Perronet Thompson School Sec Wawne Road, Bransholme, Hull HU7 4WR Kingston upon Hull Kevin Beaton 01482 879 967 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 Telegraph Hill Hatcham Wood School Sec Wallbutton Road, London SE24 2NY Lewisham Michael Davis 0171 732 2122 31 Aug99 01 Sep 99 Bishopsford Community School Watermeads High School Sec Lilleshall Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 6DU Merton Paul Harwood 0181 687 1157 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 River Leen School Alderman Derbyshire School Sec Hucknall Lane, Bulwell, Nottingham NG6 8AQ Nottingham City Tom Megahy 0115 927 8425 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 Fund and New Deal for Schools. The costs of Fresh Start will vary and details are not readily available.
In line with the Government's ambitious new targets that all schools should achieve 20 per cent five GCSEs at Grades A*-C by 2004 and 25 per cent by 2006, all schools gaining less than 15 per cent 5A*-C at GCSE over three years must consider a Fresh Start. The Government is intending to make £60 million of capital funding available for Fresh Start schools and City Academies this year and an additional £13 million will be made available to cover the transition costs of setting up the new schools and embedding best practice.
Fresh Start has been an option for some of the hardest cases. The schools are new and fragile, and there are no quick fixes. But there are early signs of improvement in the first schools. Exam results are up and truancy down—to a marked degree.
5+ A*-CGCSEs Unauthorised Absence School/Year 1997 1999 1997 1999 Firvale 57 80 8.9 3.2 Firfield Community School 43 74 12.6 3.3 The King's School 81 91 13.2 8.5 Fresh Start is one of a number of options aimed at turning round failing schools more quickly. The average turn-around time for special measures schools now stands at 18 months for schools coming on to special measures since May 1997. This is down from 25 months for schools coming under special measures between 1993 and April 1997.
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New School Name Former School Name Phase School Address LEA Area Head's Name School Tel. Date Closed Date of Fresh Start Regis County Secretary The King's CE School Sec Regis Road, Tattenhall, Wolverhampton WV6 8XG Wolverhampton Tim Gallager 01902 558333 31 Aug 99 01 Sep99 New Parks Community College New College Sec Greencoat Road, Leicester LE3 6PN Leicester City Judith Mullen 0116 28731774 31 Aug 98 01 Sep 98 Langham School Park View Academy Sec Langham Road, Tottenham, London N15 3RB Haringey Peter Walker 020 8888 1722 31 Aug 99 01 Sep 99 The Richard Heathcote Community Primary Heathcote County Primary Prim Alsagers Bank, Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire Sylvia Rizak 01782 720 406 31 Dec 99 01 Jan 00 Manor Oak Primary Kevington Primary School Prim Sweeps Lane, off Blacksmith Lane, St. Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3PE Bromley Mrs Yvonne Marsh 01689 828 099 31 Dec 99 07 Jan 00 Grove Vale Primary Goose Green Primary Prim Grove Vale, East Dulwich, London SE22 8DT South wark Mrs Pat Ford 0181693 3568 01 Apr 00 01 Apr 00 Christ Church CE VC Primary New Christ Church CE VC Primary Prim Milman Road, Reading RG2 OAY Reading Mrs B Revie 01734 871 019 01 May 00 01 May 00