PARENTS have not shown an interest in setting up ‘free schools’ proposed by the new Government, a schools boss said today.

Buckinghamshire County Council’s Chris Munday said none had come forward and he did not believe there were enough dissatisfied parents to pursue the scheme.

The Government has made a high profile offer to let parents establish schools in a variety of premises, mirroring schemes in Sweden and the United States.

Mr Munday, divisional director, commissioning and business improvement, said: “We are not expecting massive amounts of interest in the development of free schools.

“We are aware of some parental groups that are unhappy about various aspects of admissions or number of school places and some issues about space.

“But we are not aware there are any groups that have been actively campaigning to have a free school in the county.”

He was not aware of a ‘huge level of dissatisfaction that means they want to set up a free school’.

Councillor Niknam Hussain said ethnic minority communities in High Wycombe might show an interest.

He said: “They feel they don’t benefit from the county system in Buckinghamshire as a whole.”

Cllr Hussain said they ‘maybe feel they can give a different choice to their children’.

Mr Munday said of High Wycombe: “I have been involved in discussions with the Muslim community around school provision for them but they have not made an application to become a free school.”

Another flagship education policy for the new Government is academies, which opt out of council control and can set pay, studies and school hours and term times.

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Schools including High Wycombe’s The Royal Grammar School and John Hampden School have expressed an interest in taking on the status.

Yet Mr Munday said: “We are not receiving as much communication about it as we would perhaps like.”

He said the council only knew which Bucks schools had applied from the BBC website, after The Department for Education released a full national list.

He said: “The model is not clear enough yet, because we haven’t had clear guidance.”

Mr Munday said: “We are awaiting knowledge of which schools are actually going to apply to be an academy in September.”

Yet James Gillard, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “Is it not time to make the strongest possible recommendations to Mr Gove that some of these initiatives are badly thought through, that we don’t know the answers?”

Cllr Steven Adams, cabinet member for achievement, learning and skills, said the council had not formed a view on either policy.

Nine primary and secondary schools in south Buckinghamshire have expressed an interest.

But only six were ranked “outstanding” during the last Ofsted inspection and eligible to convert into an academy from September.

They are the Royal Grammar School and John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe, Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, Seer Green C of E Combined, Chalfont C of E School and Coleshill Church of England Infant School.

Highcrest Community School, Wycombe High School, and Chesham High School have also expressed an interest in academy status but are currently ineligible because of their Ofsted rating.

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