Addressing delegates at the annual ADCS conference in Manchester, president Debbie Jones said autonomous providers are increasingly presenting a challenge to the stability of the system, because decisions are taken “in isolation”, without consulting local authorities.
She said lack of information for local authorities hampered strategic decision-making and said “a grown-up conversation” is needed with government about free school applications.
Addressing fellow directors of children’s services, Jones said: “Wouldn’t it be better if, we weren’t wasting energy boxing in the dark on free school applications.
“It would be better surely for all concerned if directors of children’s services could see the application for free schools made on their patch; to help guide the process of not only offering more choice to parents, but actually making sure that new free schools are established where they are needed - where they will add value and capacity, and not where they will potentially make a nearby school or academy unviable.”
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