Accompanied by education secretary Nicky Morgan, he will say: “Today’s announcement shows that we will not waver in pressing ahead with our plans to open 500 more of these innovative and exciting schools over the next five years, creating 270,000 places, delivering an excellent education and giving parents across the country real choice for their children.”
Free schools are non-profit, independent institutions that receive government funding and charge no tuition, but operate separately from local authorities. Under the coalition government, more than 400 free schools were approved for opening in England.