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Further 281 applications to open free schools | Further 281 applications to open free schools |
(about 17 hours later) | |
There have been 281 bids to open free schools in England in the second round of applications, the Department for Education has said. | There have been 281 bids to open free schools in England in the second round of applications, the Department for Education has said. |
It follows 323 applications made in the first round, of which 10-20 are expected to open in September. | |
The government says free schools, set up by parents, teachers and other groups, will increase provision and drive up standards. | |
But critics say they draw resources away from wider state education. | |
Free schools are founded as academy schools, funded directly by central government, and outside the control of local authorities. | |
Proposers include community groups, charities, businesses, universities, trusts and religious and voluntary bodies. | |
The second round of applications includes proposals for 37 university technical colleges (UTCs). | |
These are secondary schools sponsored by universities and local employers, which have a focus on developing vocational and technical skills alongside traditional academic disciplines. | |
The second round of applications to set up free schools were received by the Department for Education between 17 March and 15 June. | The second round of applications to set up free schools were received by the Department for Education between 17 March and 15 June. |
Of the 281 bids, 227 were for mainstream schools, 20 for schools for children with special educational needs, and 34 for alternative provision schools, such as pupil referral units. | Of the 281 bids, 227 were for mainstream schools, 20 for schools for children with special educational needs, and 34 for alternative provision schools, such as pupil referral units. |
Of the 227 mainstream applications, 56% were from local groups, with 18% from independent schools wishing to move into the state sector, and 5% from groups that already run existing academy schools. | |
The proportion of faith school applications dropped from 49% last yaer to 29% this year. | |
The successful bidders will be announced in September. | The successful bidders will be announced in September. |
'Ending rationing' | |
Education Secretary Michael Gove is to outline progress made on his flagship free-schools programme in a speech at the Policy Exchange on Monday. | |
He will say there have been some "extremely promising proposals". | |
Ahead of the speech, he said: "Our critics said it was impossible to open a school in little more than a year. Several will open this September. | |
"The rationing of good schools must end. Our reforms are about creating a generation of world-class schools, free from meddling and prescription, that provide more children with the type of education previously reserved for the rich." | |
The Department for Education says that the number of new applications is in line with expectations. | |
The first application window ran from 18 June 2010 to 11 February of this year. | The first application window ran from 18 June 2010 to 11 February of this year. |
Shadow education secretary, Labour's Andy Burnham said Mr Gove was "pouring time, energy and resources into a free schools programme which will be irrelevant for most parents, and is diverting funding out of mainstream schools into wealthier areas". | |
"Michael Gove tells us that setting up new schools in this way - including removing requirements to employ qualified teachers - will improve standards, but similar reforms in Sweden led to falling standards and rising social segregation," he added. |