Free Schools ?

[RedZora]

Can anyone explain to me in simple terms what this will mean for education in this country? I am not quite sure what is going on but I fear it may not be good.

In broad terms it means that anyone can set up a school - educational charities, groups of parents and teachers, co-operatives and so on. These schools will be independent and non-selective. They will be part of the state system but will not be controlled by the local authority.

Anyone setting up a school must provide their own funding to buy their site, set up the premises, etc. Once they are operating they will be funded per pupil. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds will attract extra funding, encouraging schools to take them on.

Successful schools will be allowed to grow if they wish. However, the expectation is that this approach will lead to a greater variety of schools and that, on average, schools will be smaller and have smaller class sizes.

This model was adopted in Sweden a few years ago and has proved very successful. Of course, that doesn't guarantee it will succeed here.

Thanks

Sweden also appears to have a non-inclusive system (visually and hearing impaired schools and special schools as well as mainstream).
Can anyone confirm?