New Michaela Stevenage school scrapped over lack of ‘basic need’

Plans for a new off-shoot of Britain’s “strictest school” in Hertfordshire have been scrapped as there is no longer the “basic need” for extra school places.

The Department for Education gave Michaela Community School in Wembley approval three years ago to open a mixed 11 to 19 free school in Stevenage in 2023.

Plans for the 1,260 pupil school were even approved by Stevenage Borough Council planning committee this month.

But Michaela headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh, pictured, said today that Hertfordshire County Council had “made it clear that there is no need yet for a new school” as the town’s “current schools have enough places”.

A development that was due to happen did not go ahead, so the population did not grow as expected.

Birbalsingh also claimed opening the school would be “financially detrimental” to other secondary schools in the area, which would “lose students”.

In 2018, DfE data predicted Hertfordshire would need an additional 300 places to meet demand two years later. The following year, the forecast of extra places needed was revised up to 1,090, but this fell to 870 in 2021.

Nationally, secondary pupil numbers are due to peak in 2024 before falling.

Birbalsingh said she did not know “when there might be enough need” for the school, and “as a result, we will no longer be opening our school in Stevenage”.

She said Michaela was “very sad”, but said it was “the right decision”. If a clear need is identified in future “then we would be delighted to consider returning to this project”.

Existing secondary schools would ‘lose students’

“To open our school would be financially detrimental to the existing six secondary schools as they would lose students. I have met a number of education leaders in Stevenage, including one headteacher who visited us in Wembley.

“We are not in the business of causing challenges for our colleagues at other schools. Far from it, our philosophy is to help schools be as good as they can be for the children and young people they serve.”

Michaela’s application to the DfE said the school would have a “behaviour boot camp” in the first days of year 7. It would be “renowned for its academic rigour” and “overcome barriers to learning”.

Birbalsingh said when Michaela made the application in 2018 that local authority data showed there was need for a six-form entry school from 2023.

This was needed due to the “ongoing development and subsequent population growth in the town and surrounding areas”.

DfE requires evidence of basic need for additional school places when assessing free school applications.

The Wembley school was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2017, but is renowned for its strict approach such as silent corridors and other controversial policies such as ditching SEND labels and giving detentions for failing to have a pen.

Birbalsingh also leads the Social Mobility Commission. Recently, the commission said it would investigate which teaching styles work best to boost outcomes for poorer pupils.

A Hertfordshire spokesperson said they were “disappointed” to learn Michaela had withdraw its free school application.

“While the creation of new free schools is a matter for the government, we had committed to improving the existing Stevenage Education Support Centre buildings as part of the DfE’s building scheme. It is unfortunate that these plans will not now be able to go ahead.”