Let’s start with the curriculum for years 7 and 8
because that’s all they will be offering at first. The core is the untried,
untested English Baccalaureate offering English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, History, Geography, French, Spanish/Latin. Years 7-8 will take these subjects as well as
Philosophy and Ethics, Physical Education, Design, Enterprise, Computing, Drama, PHSE,
Art and Music. Then it tells us ‘the core curriculum will be enhanced by
opportunities to learn and participate in: Performing and Visual Arts,
Leadership development (including public speaking & debating) and
Enterprise opportunities’ A pretty full day, an exciting range of
subjects.
Then a little further on it tells us that the core
curriculum ‘will be enhanced by the
afterschool sessions covering Sport, Performing Arts, Music, Critical Thinking,
Duke of Edinburgh and other leadership opportunities’. So, doesn’t that mean everything outside the
EBAC will be taught out of school hours?
But students will have the ‘unique
opportunity to learn from professional coaches – including professional sports
coaches, musicians and actors.’ Not from
qualified teachers?
The website makes it a little clearer. It lays out
the core curriculum and lists the following subjects as being outside the
normal school day of 8.15 to 3.15.
- Art, Music and Drama
- A range of sports, taking advantage of local facilities
- Public speaking & other LAMDA
qualifications
- Computing
- Further GCSE choices (e.g. Product Design, Food Technology, Sports Science)
And in case we might wonder where all the 'football, rugby, cricket, and rowing' is going to take place the school will take 'advantage of our unique Arnold location to offer a wide range of sporting opportunities. which means they won't have any facilities themselves.
I happen to believe that the EBAC and its supporters
are looking to return to an educational golden age that never existed outside
school stories written in the nineteen fifties imposing on teachers and
students a curriculum that is hardly suited to the twenty first century. I think that depriving children of the chance
to get involved in sport and the arts in the hope that the extra time can be
translated into more exams passed in fewer subjects is an appallingly short
sighted approach that will deprive a generation and undermine our culture. But I'm a playwright so I would say that wouldn't I? All I’d ask is that parents who are
considering enrolling their children into this risky experiment should think
back no further than to their own education, and without putting on rose
coloured spectacles, or dwelling too long on those things that they didn’t go
well, and ask themselves, do they really want their kids to miss out on all
they took for granted?I don’t doubt that the existing Torch schools are doing an excellent job for their pupils. I question whether they need to build a free school somewhere in Arnold. There are two existing schools here, embedded in the community, with structured plans to expand. Let them get on with the job.
Two things do still nag at me as I think about the confusing way that the Nottingham Free School group presents itself. Young people need to feel sure that that no-one is trying to be anything less than open with them. On their Twitter feed is this:
Nottingham Post article reinforces our message that we're providing choice for parents in Arnold, Sherwood,... http://t.co/yRoYesSd about 11 days ago
Click the link and it takes you to an article with the headline 'Headteachers claim there is no need to set up two free schools in West Bridgford and Arnold'. Their tweet isn't exactly untrue, but then the article doesn't exactly reinforce their message that 'we're providing choice for parents in Arnold.'
And
if you look at the qualifications of the two leaders of the Torch Group Mr
Jonathan Taylor lists MA(OXON). I know
how hard it is to get a BA at Oxford. My
daughter who went to Arnold Hill worked hard for hers. I also know that to get
an MA(OXON) you don’t have to do any work after your first degree, all you have
to do is leave your name on the university books for seven years and pay them
thirty quid.