In an open letter to Education Secretary Michael Gove, Labour's shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg accused him of squandering taxpayers' money on abandoned or underused free school projects.
Labour claimed the cost of deferring the opening of the One in a Million free school in Bradford and the abandoned Rivendale Primary School in London amounts to £327,000.
A further £2m was spent on the Beccles Free School, in Suffolk, which is set to open next week with just 68 pupils. Twigg called for greater transparency around the costs of the free schools initiative.
He also wants to see the publication of details of a further three failed free school projects: The Chorley Career and Sixth Form Academy, Rotherham Central Free School and the Newham Free Academy.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
