New free schools less popular than rival choices

NEW FREE schools are less popular with parents than other types of state education, according to a new study.

It suggests that mums and dads are less likely to opt for one of these schools when they first open as their top choice for their child. The report, published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank, also finds that free schools are helping to create more school places, but that they are more likely to be found in areas where there is already a good standard of education, rather than those with lower performance.

Free schools – new schools that are not under local council control – are a key part of Conservative education policy, with the first opening in 2011. They are typically set up by groups such as teachers, parents, charities, businesses or trusts, are directly funded by government, and have freedom over areas such as the curriculum and staff pay.

Since the programme began it has faced controversy, with supporters claiming that free schools give parents more choice and help drive up standards, and critics raising concerns that they are more likely to be in middle-class areas, with poorer youngsters missing out.

The new study analyses the impact of free schools based on measures such as popularity with parents, numbers of poorer students and location. It concludes that new free schools are unlikely to be parents’ first preference. Parents are typically asked to list between three and and six choices of school when applying for a place.

In 2015/16, of all the preferences expressed for a primary free school, just over 35 per cent were a first preference, the report found, while among preferences for secondary free schools, just under 29 per cent were a first preference.

In both cases, these proportions were the lowest for any type of state school. Around half of pupils in England attend their nearest school, but this figure is lower for free schools, it says. Out of all pupils that have a free school as their nearest school, just under a quarter attend it. The report does note that some free schools are set up to offer a different type of education, so they may never be some parents’ first choice.