By Councillor Peter Walker, Merton Council cabinet member for education (Labour, Figge's Marsh ward)

In last weeks paper you mentioned that I was against the setting up of the proposed free school on the old Wimbledon House School site.

People should be aware that, at present as proposed by the Government, Free Schools are able to:

  1. Employ unqualified teachers;
  2. Pay salaries below those paid nationally to teachers and their support staff;
  3. Use sites and buildings to teach in that do not meet the standards demanded of State schools. Several are already proposing to use disused shops and offices;
  4. Make a profit from educating children through renting from a parent company at a profit rent.

I am also surprised that the Conservatives are so keen locally for this scheme to go ahead when they must know that the body set up to run the school do not own the site. It is owned by the Council.

Accordingly this proposal is not likely to go ahead as we are actively exploring whether the site can help us meet the needs of the Councils primary school expansion scheme.

What do you think? Send your letter to: letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk

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