A GROUP of parents and teachers who are trying to set up a free school in York are about to submit their application to Government.

The steering group behind the proposed new secondary school, which would be based in Holgate, revealed its blueprint at its second public meeting on Wednesday.

Tim Moat, chairman of the committee, said the blueprint was well received.

He said: “There are certain things that make us stand out as being different that makes the school more pastoral. It’s a whole new way of looking at secondary education.”

The blueprint outlines plans for strong discipline, close relationships between the school and parents and with the community.

The school would seek to ease the transition between primary and secondary school, which has been found to cause dips in children’s attainment.

In the early years, each class would have two core teachers and would be taught in morning and afternoon blocks, like in primary school, rather than moving around for lessons and having multiple teachers.

“We want to use our local environment, historic buildings, places of worship, farms, industry, universities, art galleries and studios, theatres and museums to deliver exciting, interactive learning,” it said.

Mr Moat said: “We need to demonstrate we have a steering group that can deliver this project. We already have what we need in terms of building a viable case.”

He said they still have time to arrange premises and get the further signatures required as evidence of demand, once the application has been submitted.

Another member of the committee is former deputy principal of York College, Daniel Khan. He said: “The turnout wasn’t as much as the first time, but we expected that because it’s the summer. But we had a good discussion and more people expressed interest in it as an option for their children.”

He said the school planned to work in partnership with other schools in York as well as the council. “I think it’s going to have a minimal impact on York’s education budget,” he said. “These free schools are much smaller entities than the big ones that have gone independent already.”