Greg Hands MP this week led Education Secretary Nicky Morgan on a visit to The Fulham Boys School (FBS), London’s first free school for boys, which he helped to open last year.
The Education Secretary had been invited to visit the school by FBS patron, Greg Hands MP, and was called on to award the House cup for the school’s first ‘Eisteddfod’. The school houses competed for points at this cultural festival the previous Friday.
The Education Secretary was treated to a taste of FBS life. In her tour of the school she dropped in on lessons and visited the library that sparked widespread debate earlier this year about how best to get boys reading.
Nicky Morgan commented: “I know FBS’s founders set out with a clear vision to achieve high aspirations for all boys, and it’s enlivening to see how it’s being done in practice. Everything – from boxing to baking and from the food in the canteen to the books on the library shelves – so clearly has boys’ motivation running through it. I thank the boys for their enthusiasm and exemplary manners today – clearly some entrepreneurial spirits to watch out for.”
Speaking at the prize giving ceremony, Nicky Morgan told the boys “This is a fantastic School and you should all be very proud of what you have achieved so far. I look forward to hearing how the school grows to nurture your talent and future success.”
Chelsea and Fulham MP, Greg Hands said: “It is a delight to see that FBS has made such a promising start, and it is now half way through its first year. This is thanks to headmaster Alun Ebenezer and the excellent team of dedicated governors, teachers, parents and of course the hard work of the boys.
“There has historically been a lack of good Church of England boys schools in Fulham, even though there is good coverage other faith schools and non-religious schools. I’m pleased that FBS is now working to fill that gap, and I’m delighted to act as its patron. I shall continue to support the school in its work and in finding a permanent home here in Fulham.”
Alun Ebenezer told the Education Secretary “It’s very exciting starting a new school from scratch. The ethos here is very important to us – a ‘can do’ attitude – it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can get to where you need to get to…We are all about making boys think.”
FBS was established by local parents and teachers with the support of the London Diocesan Board for Schools and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The local authority recognised the demand for an outstanding boys’ secondary in Fulham and the impending need for more secondary school places overall in the borough.
Back in summer 2014, local MP Greg Hands intervened in a dispute caused by the new Labour Council of Hammersmith and Fulham, in order to help safeguard the site of the school. Greg met with Michael Gove (then Education Secretary) and Lord Nash, the Schools Minister, successfully urging them to reconsider the Department for Education’s decision. After a guarantee from the Mayor of London to help the school find a permanent home in the Borough, the school was able to open as planned last September.
FBS is a Church of England school open to all boys, regardless of faith. The School opened on temporary premises at Gibbs Green in North Fulham in September 2014 and will move to its permanent home within three years.