NUT should embrace Free Schools

I'm not sure why the NUT is so against free schools. They claim that they are divisive and unaccountable, but don't really have any evidence to support this. What is divisive about a group of parents and teachers setting up a school to benefit their local community? And if by unaccountable it means outside LEA control, then the significant minority of failing state schools under LEA control should make the NUT think that perhaps being accountable to these bodies isn't always the best thing.

To prove just how unpopular these plans are, the NUT has commissioned a study, published today, that it claims proves that people don't want or need them. Except that it doesn't. What the figures show is that 26% of parents do want free schools, and that a further 43% are as yet undecided. Free schools are meant to be an option for parents. They are not being rolled out as the norm, though they may become more common if they are successful. Indeed, each free school proposal has to demonstrate that there is local demand, so if there really isn't any support as the NUT claims then there won't be any free schools. 

The study also begs the question that if 25% of parents would consider setting one up then why would the NUT oppose their wishes? The answer is probably because the NUT perceives them as a threat to itself. These schools will have greater freedoms to fire poor teachers, will not have to follow the national curriculum, and could hire teachers who are not qualified. They will have the independence to innovate and develop new methods, just like the many successful private schools in the UK which have similar powers. 

All of these things could really benefit children who are not getting the education they deserve under the current system. But because they also point to a smaller role for the country's largest teaching union, the NUT continues to oppose them. It's an incredibly sad state of affairs, because these plans will go ahead and if they work could be fantastic news for children. By being so thoughtlessly critical the NUT is really missing out on a huge opportunity to get involved in free schools and help shape their development.