The NASUWT Position on Free Schools The NASUWT believes that the
overriding rationale for any change to education policy should
be to raise standards, tackle disadvantage and inequality and
narrow the achievement gap. Any changes should also safeguard
and enhance the values and ethos of state education. Nothing in
the Coalition Government’s academies and free schools programme
meets those principles. There is strong evidence from the UK,
the USA, Sweden and elsewhere that bringing other providers in
to run schools creates additional financial pressures across the
whole system, increases inefficiency (especially as a result of
the potential increase in numbers of surplus places) and leads
to profiteering. There is no requirement on proposers of free
schools to conduct a public consultation when there is an
intention to establish a free school. This exemplifies a
significant democratic deficit in the Coalition Government’s
academy and free school provisions. Local communities, local
authorities and parents, are