Pixel International Conferences

On the 18 June 2010, England’s Education Secretary Michael Gove and the conservative party announced that they would allow ambitious teachers and community groups to start their own schools. These ‘Free Schools’ would be privately governed, but state funded. One of the primary reasons for this change in the UK education system had been that Gove wanted to narrow the gap in provision between poorer families and their wealthier counterparts. ‘By allowing new schools we will give all children access to the kind of education only the rich can afford - small schools with small class sizes, great teaching and strong discipline’.

This paper discusses the development of Free Schools in the UK and tries to contextualise them amongst UK education history, the American charter school initiative and the Swedish Free School movement. It evaluates the reception and coverage of Free Schools in the UK and investigates whether the foundation of Free Schools has lead to a rise in attainment and social mobility. Lastly, it introduces alternative education initiatives which have benefited from the Free School scheme, considering the most recent opening of three Steiner Waldorf Free Schools in the South of England.