Hannah Richardson
December 13, 2012
A flagship new free school where pupils practise
transcendental meditation twice daily has been reprimanded by the government
after it failed to put any of its pupils into compulsory national curriculum
tests.
Pupils at Lancashire's Maharishi Free School receive what is
described as a "consciousness-based" education.
The former private school became a state-funded free school
last year.
The Department for Education has reminded the school of its
obligations.
It said in a statement: "Pupils at the Maharishi Free
School did not sit the tests this year. We have written to inform the school it
must administer the tests."
The issue emerged as DfE data was published on all primary
schools in England. The school appeared to have scored 0% in the English and
maths tests taken by all pupils in the final year of primary school.
'Harmonious atmosphere'
It will be an embarrassment for the government, which has made
much of its programme to allow different interest groups to open up new schools
with government funding.
The Maharishi School had been open for more than 25 years as
an independent school before it became a free school in a converted barn last
September.
The school said in a statement the external administration
systems "did not adequately include" the school.
"The effect of this is that the school staff did not
receive the required training, notice or materials to administer the
assessments. Consequently the published results do not accurately reflect the
true level of attainment of the pupils.
"The Maharishi Free School is now registered for all
required assessments and will be fully participating in the future," it
said.
But the DfE stressed that the requirement for the school to
take the tests would have been part of its free school funding agreement.
The school is one of the more unusual free schools to have
been approved by Education Secretary Michael Gove. There is a sister school in
Suffolk, but one planned for Richmond, in south-west London, was not allowed to
go ahead.
The Lancashire school pledges to develop the full potential of
every student, including "their senses, mind, intellect and emotions".
A message on the school website says: "It is a wonderful
place to be - a dynamic learning environment combines with a harmonious
atmosphere, in which children aged from four to 16 receive the uniquely
effective system of consciousness-based education.
"Creativity and intelligence are systematically developed
with a few minutes of transcendental meditation at the beginning and end of the
school day."
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