KCC's Sweden fact-finding trip idea sparks row
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by political editor Paul Francis
pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk
A political row has broken out over plans by Kent county
councillors and education chiefs for a fact-finding visit to see
schools in Sweden.
Kent County Council's Conservative
administration is preparing to send a group of county councillors
along with head teachers and officers to visit what are known as
'free schools'.
In 2008, senior education officials from County Hall travelled
to Sweden for a similar purpose, but no report on the trip has ever
been made public.
The Conservative party nationally
has signalled it wants to adopt the concept of free schools in the
UK if it forms the next government.
The exact costs of the planned trip are not yet
known - but opposition Liberal Democrat leader
Cllr Trudy Dean said the Conservative party rather than the
taxpayer should foot the bill.
She said: "If you want to see schools elsewhere which might
become Conservative policy, then maybe the Conservative party
should pay for it."
She also argued if it was to go ahead, any group should consist
of councillors from all parties.
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The move has sparked wide-ranging criticism from members of
KCC’s education watchdog committee, with even one Conservative
complaining the trip was unnecessary.
Cllr Ken Pugh (Con) said: "I appreciate we may need to be
prepared but surely there are other ways [of doing it] like using
video-conferencing. Maybe later we could consider it but not
initially."
But Cllr Sarah
Hohler (Con), KCC's cabinet member for children's services who
revealed details of next month's planned trip, said it would be
beneficial.
She argued: "We thought it would be a good idea if a small group
of us went to see if they were working in practice and to see
whether educational outcomes [at the schools] have improved. If
there was to be a Conservative government that brought in the
policy, it would be prudent for us to see what is involved.
"We must not build this out of proportion. We're not talking
about going for a long time with a big group of people."
In 2005, KCC sparked controversy when it took nearly 100 head
teachers to America for a study tour to four states at a cost of
tens of thousands of pounds.
What is the 'free school'
system?
The 'free school' system allows private companies, possibly set
up by groups of parents, to establish independent schools that
remain funded by the state.
The concept of free schools has drawn mixed views in Sweden.
A recent report by Skolverket, the National
Education Agency, concluded they were an inefficient use of funds
that drove up the overall cost of education, when they are supposed
to achieve the opposite.
However, they have been popular with many parents.
Monday, January 18 2010
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