Surrey moves to privatise school

The first privately run comprehensive school in Britain moved a step nearer after Conservative-run Surrey County Council Education Sub-committee decided by one vote to allow private firms to put in bids to run what Ofsted have labelled a "failing" school, Kings Manor in Guildford.

Private companies who are currently bidding include Nord Anglia who already run private schools in Britain and abroad, the Edison Project which runs 50 schools in the US and the Centre for British Teachers which provides school inspection teams for Ofsted. Whether the CBT can be allowed to inspect and run schools without any conflict of interests may well be up for debate.

The headteacher of Kings Manor, Greg Gardener, is backing the school governors in opposing any attempts to bring in a private company. The US experience of mass redundancies, higher class sizes and the tendering out of all school services would seem to back up the opposition to privatisation.

The Labour Group on Surrey County Council is also very sceptical of the proposal. A decision from Education Secretary David Blunkett is now awaited.

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