This paper discusses the rise and possible fall of the Free Schools movement in England. The arguments here are taken from a collection of government reports, education charitable trust's papers, press reports and articles written by champions of the Free School movement. It does appear from examining the presented evidence, that the initial idea…

To mark the ten year anniversary since the introduction of the free schools programme, New Schools Network (NSN) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct an independent data-led investigation into what impact free schools have had since their introduction in 2010. The research examines the impact that free…

This study examines parental choice preferences following the introduction of the Free Schools policy in England. It reports on two phases of data collection: first, the analysis of factors that Free School and non-Free School parents reported as important in informing their choices; and, second, findings from semi-structured interviews with…

The United Kingdom's 2010 Academies Act further widened the school and State relationship with free schools, in particular, becoming a model separately identified as endorsing and celebrating the neoliberal ideology of competition informed by market principles. The main features of the model are described and complemented with illustrative…

In an article written for The Clearing House in 1974 titled, "Alternative schools: Can they survive?", Gerald Brunetti described features of schools that served as an alternative to mainstream public education. He raised the question of whether or not such schools would continue to exist in the future. A search of the literature reveals…

In this paper we explore the various spaces and sites through which the figure of the parent is summoned to inhabit and perform market norms and practices in the field of education in England. Since the late 1970s successive governments have called on parents to enact certain duties and obligations in relation to the state. These duties include…

Free schools are all-ability schools, funded by the government, and can be set up by groups such as charities, universities, teachers or parents. Free schools came into being as part of the Academies Act 2010 and the Education Act 2011 and have the same legal status as academies. The first free schools opened in September 2011 and by the end of…

This paper explores how "social democratic" Sweden initiated and implemented choice reforms that attracted the interest of "liberal" England. By studying how English media framed and portrayed the Swedish free school "export" from 2008 to 2014, this paper aims to describe and discuss how a market-oriented policy idea,…

A review of American charter schools and Swedish free-school research is outlined, providing strong evidence that both free-market models are flawed in their claims of enhancing young people's educational experience. A substantial body of work is included that strongly indicates charter and free schools increase social segregation and lower…

In the past 25 years, the English education system has experienced a substantial growth in alternative provision, that is, publicly funded schools that accept students from the general population without selection, but provide an educational setting different to the traditional, locally provided schools. Introduced in 2000 by the Labour Party,…

The 2010 Academies Act was significant in introducing Free Schools to the English education system. Opening up funding to new, non-profit entrants on the basis of demand, the policy has aroused support and controversy on political, philosophical and practical educational grounds with implications for social justice in terms of equity and freedom.…

In Sweden, and in most other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, post-16 education is a general requirement to succeed in adult life. By the late 2000s, after about two decades of policies for student choice and publicly funded free schools, students' results in the Programme for International Student…

The creation of multiple academies and the introduction of free schools across England is a policy-borrowing initiative that has had much debate from various actors in society. Many criticisms have been levelled at the government's plans and many individuals and organisations have called for them not to come on stream, but instead for the…

Recently, European school systems have seen various attempts to "modernise" their governance. Market and competition oriented reforms have not been central to governance innovation strategies in German speaking countries, however, their number and relevance is rising in recent years. A free school choice policy which abolishes…

The question of what role free schools should perform in the Swedish educational system has been a contested subject between three ideological, theoretical, political and policy tenets. The first, "contribution to pedagogical diversity in a controlled school market" reflects a traditional social democratic view. The second,…