Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members responded, and we’re currently publishing the full results.
42% of Lib Dem members reject ‘free schools’
LDV asked: “Free Schools” are new state schools set up by parents, teachers or voluntary groups which are outside the control of local authorities. Which of the following statements best reflects your views on free schools?
- 30% – Free schools provide more choice for local parents and will help improve education overall
- 42% – Free schools take resources and funds away from existing schools, and will damage education overall
- 17% – Neither
- 11% – Don’t know / No opinion
According to our sample of party members, therefore, there is a plurality who oppose the concept of ‘free schools’, fearing they will damage education overall — though almost 1-in-3 back them, a higher figure than I was expecting, to be honest.
A significant minority, 17%, selected ‘neither’. Reading through the comments submitted, many took a more nuanmced view than the simply for/against binary allowed: ‘I hate the way every subject these days has two polarised corners in which to seat yourself. Am against free schools largely but concede that in some cases they could be useful.’
Central government & teaching unions too powerful; parents & headteachers need more power
LDV asked: Do you think the following have too much power over how schools are run, about the right amount of power, or not enough power over how schools are run?
-
Local councils
18% – Too much power
52% – About the right amount of power
22% – Not enough power
7% – Don’t know
Teaching unions
40% – Too much power
45% – About the right amount of power
3% – Not enough power
12% – Don’t know
Parents
6% – Too much power
49% – About the right amount of power
38% – Not enough power
7% – Don’t know
Central government
65% – Too much power
26% – About the right amount of power
2% – Not enough power
7% – Don’t know
Headteachers
7% – Too much power
52% – About the right amount of power
33% – Not enough power
8% – Don’t know
An interesting set of results. Broadly speaking, around half our sample of party members felt trade unions, local councils, parents and headteachers all had about the right amount of power in running schools. However, the latter two groups were felt to be the most in need of additional powers, while teaching unions were most likely to be thought to need their wings clipping.
However, there’s no doubt the overall villain of the piece: almost two-thirds of Lib Dems believe central government has far too much say in how our schools are run.
- Over 1,200 Lib Dem paid-up party members are registered with LibDemVoice.org. Some 550 responded to the latest survey, which was conducted between 11th and 15th September.
- Please note: we make no claims that the survey is fully representative of the Lib Dem membership as a whole. However, LibDemVoice.org’s surveys are the largest independent samples of the views of Lib Dem members across the country, and have in the past accurately predicted the winners of the contest for Party President, and the result of the conference decision to approve the Coalition agreement.
- The full archive of our members’ surveys can be viewed at www.libdemvoice.org/category/ldv-members-poll
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10 Comments
Lib Dem conference in 2010 voted against free schools by a margin of 10 – 1.
So I suspect the people who reply on LDV have a different view to the general party membership.
I believe that local government should run public services where it is practicle.
Ideally under a system of proportional representation such as STV in order to avoid the corruption in “safe” majority councils. Also elections should take place every year.
And if the local council is inefficient, then the people can vote out the ruling group. So you get what you vote for. Surely there is no better way of doing this?
Free schools needs to have a big investment from parents. Those with the sharpest elbows are more likely to be middle class who themselves benefitted from and therefore value education more. This will undo the efforts being made to improve social mobility, so it is odd that Nick Clegg is so much in favour of all this.
Geoffrey Payne – no, the self-selected group of activists who attend conference voted 10-1 against free schools. This is no more, and is arguably less, representative than the libdemvoice sample.
Until and unless local authorities offer schools with the features that the free school activists are offering (rigorous academic subjects, competitive sport, proper uniforms, rigorous discipline and exclusion of disruptive pupils) then there will be a demand for them.
None of the questions asked here are good approximations of “Would you vote for or against free schools as presented in 2010?”. So the comparison is unlikely to be meaningful.
As a product of being educated at an independent school, I cannot conceive why others should be deprived of the opportunities that I’ve had.
Geoffrey, this is the second poll of members where the views are rather different from the dominance of SLF views atConference. Perhaps there is a wider range of views than you think?
I am shocked that any Lib Dem could contemplate support for free schools. I suspect that it stems for lack of both experience of education and of committment to local democracy. Free schools will not be set up by disadvantaged families however benevonently they are dressed up. Actually schools have been set up by locally elected Local Authorities accountable from the local community and responsible to it via the ballot box with representation from the community on the governing bodies.
I would be really grateful if someone could define the INTERFERENCE which makes it necessary to set up free schools and academies.
I think some of the difference between 2010 and now can be put down to the fact that in many areas – my own is one – the only way to get a new school built is to make it a free school. Therefore we are getting what look like “acceptable” and “LA friendly” proposals which are finding favour with LibDem councillors anxious to see more school places provided, thus blurring the edges of our natural opposition to the “Toby Young” model of Free Schools.
As Stephen reports, the response is a bit more nuanced than just for/against.
I am surprised that shortage of places can’t be addressed by temporary classrooms pending grant funding from Government grant. That is how it was when I was responsible for school places. Temporary changes to school demand are/were damped in this way. I’m sure that even a temporary classrooms with a good teacher suported by a good Head provides the best deal for children.
As a long time governor of a 6th form College I challenge the blithe assumption that ‘independent = good’. Colleges ofted deal with the casualties of the independent sector. In any case even in the successfu lindepdents, factors such as class size and parental involvement make comparison less obvious than Andrrew T asserts.
Surely your headline should read: “42% of Lib Dem members are illiberal” ?
@BrianD – What you say would hold true in a well run County Council. Unfortunately we are in Hertfordshire where the level of incompetence displayed by our Tory run council in providing adequate school places is legendary. We now need whole schools to make up the shortfall.