Conservatives Announce 500 More Free Schools if They Win the General Election

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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UK Prime Minister David Cameron is scheduled to announce a new wave of 500 free schools in the next five years in case the Conservative Party wins the upcoming May election. The promise will form a major expansion of the party’s current policy on the schools, creating an extra 270,000 school places in free schools by 2020.

Free schools introduced by Michael Gove can be set up by community groups including parents, charities or teachers. According to the prime minister, these state-funded start-up schools are “raising standards and restoring discipline.” Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, mentioned today that 70% of inspected free schools are currently rated good or outstanding. In response to a query regarding the impact of free schools on neighboring schools and whether it justified their expansion, she replied that free schools are indeed a “huge success story.” Morgan stressed that “we know from our own evidence that 72% of free school heads say they are having a positive impact on local schools in their area, they are driving up standards and they are giving parents more choice about having a great local school in their area.”

In addition to that, PM Cameron also revealed details of the final wave of 49 free schools, including the Bristol Autism Free School. It was announced that Bristol’s first all-through provision for students with autistic spectrum conditions will open its doors in September 2016 by replacing and expanding a small autism unit at the successful Merchants Academy. Bristol Autism Free School will be backed by the local authority and provide 49 primary places and 35 secondary places.