SCHOOL reports often conclude with the phrase "could do better". In the case of Durham Free School, the verdict is: "Couldn't do any worse."

As far as Durham is concerned it is hard to argue that the free school experiment has been anything other than a disaster – and a very expensive one at that.

The Department for Education no doubt wants to be perceived as having acted decisively by closing the school.

But the reality is that a huge amount of public money has been gambled on ideology before the Government decided enough was enough.

It was money taken from a precious education pot, which could have been spent across other local schools. Instead, in the midst of strict austerity elsewhere, it has been poured down the drain.

Let us not forget that there were surplus places at decent schools available in Durham – places that will now be filled by the 90-plus children whose school has had to be shut down in a blaze of embarrassment.

We know that Durham Free School's first term cost the public purse £900,000 – more than £25,000 per pupil – and it is right that taxpayers are now told exactly how much money has been spent during the 18-month life of this catastrophic experiment.

What did we get for our money? Poor leadership, low standards, rampant bullying, and no sign of progress from early warning signs. Perhaps most damningly in the current climate, Durham Free School was condemned for its students' "discriminatory views" on people of other beliefs.

There are clear lessons to picked from the wreckage of Durham Free School, and perhaps the most important is that the education system should be designed around what is best for young people – not party political gimmicks or ideology.