Seckford Foundation take over the Ixworth Free School Bid and plan a Suffolk Free School chain

The Seckford Foundation appear to have learned nothing from their recent problems at Beccles. Not content with their involvement in the highly controvercial bid for a free school at Beccles as well as two more at Stoke-by-Nayland and Saxmundham it has been announced today that they are now backing the Ixworth and Stanton free school bid.

In his reply to me on Friday Roger Finbow described the involvement of the Seckford Foudnation in local free school bids in this way:

The aim of the Foundation in supporting Free School proposals in the county is to support the principle that children and their parents should have a choice in where they are educated, where there is a sufficiently strong desire for such a choice. 

We have consistently made clear that if, contrary to our understanding, the desire is not there, then we will have no wish to impose a free school on the community.

See the Full Letter on Wikisuffolk

But in a letter from the Ixworth and Stanton Free School group sent today by Stephen Larder a somewhat different vision is described.

Their vision is to create a federation of Suffolk Free Schools, which would deliver outstanding academic achievement and forward thinking pastoral care.

It appears the real plan is to create a Chain of Free Schools across Suffolk. This does not seem to me to be "creating choice" as the schools look like they will all be the same. They have identical websites for example. They all offer an identical narrow curriculum.

Given the controvesy around the Ixworth proposal and the fragmented support and opposition to the free school in the North and South of the Thurston area it seems a very brave decision indeed by the Seckford Foundation.