A free school in Yorkshire which struggled with recruitment and finding a permanent home has closed a year after opening.
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that Dawes Lane Academy, which provided alternative provision for pupils attending schools in the School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA) chain, has closed.
According to the Yorkshire Post, the free school opened last year in temporary buildings on the site of the John Whitgift Academy in Grimsby, but failed to get planning permission for a permanent home in Scunthorpe.
The Post has reported that the decision to close was made by the SPTA.
A DfE spokesperson said: “Free schools are a vital part of our plan for education and are providing thousands of pupils with an excellent education, including many of those who have fallen out of the mainstream school system.
“Dawes Lane Academy has experienced difficulties with pupil recruitment and finding an appropriate permanent site and the trust has therefore decided to close the school.
“Year 11 pupils have moved on to post-16 providers while other pupils have returned to their host schools within the School Partnership Trust.”
The SPTA has been approached for comment.
What a shocking waste of money.