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In anticipation of Michael Gove’s statement about free schools today (18 June), TreeHouse and other leading parent-founded schools stress that without practical support and advice, many other parents will be put off the daunting challenge of setting up their own schools in future. Parents of children with special educational needs, who already face additional barriers, will find it particularly challenging to turn the Secretary of State’s vision of parent founded schools into a reality without intensive and tailored support to navigate the system.
TreeHouse is the national charity for autism education and runs a parent founded school in north London. Like TreeHouse, many of the parent founded schools that are in operation today are registered charities. Parents need continued support in establishing these organisations and they need to work in an environment that will enable them to grow and be sustainable.
Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of TreeHouse, said:
“The most significant barrier that parents faced in establishing TreeHouse was the sheer time required to navigate the complexities of setting up a school. Our founding parents have done an incredible job and today we have 76 children at our school. We are fortunate to have a flagship building to support teaching and learning. However, TreeHouse is a rarity and the Government’s vision of making it easier for parents to set up their own schools needs to be matched by investment in guidance and support and a resolute commitment to supporting the role of special schools and for high standards of education.”
Kate Grant is a parent who helped set up and is now Executive Head of Jigsaw School in Cranleigh, Surrey. Kate said:
“For any parent, establishing a school from scratch is all encompassing. Jigsaw School has been operational for over ten years but it has been one long hard battle which has required us clear so many hurdles. I don’t know quite how we have achieved what we have, but I do know that without proper support many parents will be put off from the start.”
Karen Sorab is CEO and Founding Trustee of Rainbow Charity for children with autism, who also run a school. Karen said:
“As the mother of an autistic child, I believe that specialist education is the key to enabling children with autism to reach their full potential. Founding a parent led school has at times been extremely challenging, extremely stressful and is most definitely not for the faint hearted. It could have been so much easier with genuine high quality support and advice.”
TreeHouse, Rainbow and Jigsaw Schools, in partnership with others, have produced a resource called Schools from Scratch - an essential guide to setting up a special school. It is based on the experiences of six parent-founded schools for children with autism and gives practical insights into what needs to be considered before, during and after a special school is set up. To download a free copy please go to:
http://www.treehouse.org.uk/files/treehouse-corp/files/documents/schools_from_scratch_web_0.pdf
