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Ed Balls rejects parents’ power for new Wandsworth school
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor29 Mar 2010
Schools Secretary Ed Balls was accused of ignoring “parent power” today after he refused to give fresh money for new schools in Wandsworth.
Mr Balls said he backed the idea of a school founded by local parents in response to the acute shortage of places in south-west London.
But he said that Tory-run Wandsworth already had £300 million in its Building Schools for the Future programme and would have to take the cash out of that to fund any new premises.
Seven parents in Wandsworth are trying to establish their own community school amid claims they live in a “black hole” for education.
Mr Balls also rejected pleas from parents in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, who wanted to found their own school.
Mr Balls claimed that an independent report had found that there was no need for more places and that a new school would undermine existing ones.
The Schools Secretary did announce that a new academy would be built in Lambeth.
Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove, who plans to expand parents' rights to set up their own institutions, said: “Ed Balls said he wants to give parents more choice and control of their schools but when the crunch comes he let down a group of dedicated and hard-working parents in West Yorkshire and has given cold comfort to parents in Wandsworth.
“This announcement showed that Ed Balls's first priority is to side with bureaucrats not parents.”
Reader views (4)
Nobody in SW London voting Labour = no cash.....anybody surprised?
- Mark, London, 29/03/2010 18:17
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So what happens if I, and a group of like-minded parents, want to start up a selective grammar school ?
- Keith, London, UK., 29/03/2010 16:57
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This article is completly misleading. In actual fact Ed Balls has given his complete backing to the School in Wandsworth. Central Government has given £300 million to the Conservative Council in order to build new school facilities. The Conservative Council has decided to use this money to fund large super schools with upwards of ten form entries. After an appeal by parents to the local Labour MP, Martin Linton, Ed Balls agreed to give substatial help to the Conservatives to use this money in accordance with residents wishes to create a new smaller school. Something the Conservative Council was refusing to do. This article seems to be either a piece of very sloppy reporting or a deliberate attempt to scupper a very good action for local children by Schools Secretary Ed Balls. Ed Balls has Offered to help the Conservative Council escape from the mess of using all government funding for super schools rather than listening to local demand and this article seems to be the victim of significant spin.
- South London Resident, South London, 29/03/2010 15:06
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Ed (bully) Balls promises to invest more in education as opposed to Tory cuts,but it depends if you have a Labour Council!
- Tojo, Hythe, 29/03/2010 13:54
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