Michael Gove’s free schools program has been linked to increased social segregation and a decline in student numbers at neighboring schools, according to a recent analysis of the initiative.
Promoted as a major achievement of the 14-year Conservative-led government, free schools were intended to enhance educational quality and expand parental choice. They aimed to drive improvements in nearby schools and create a “galvanizing effect” across the education system.
However, new research from University College London, shared with the Observer, indicates that the introduction of free schools has been associated with greater segregation among primary school students, particularly along ethnic lines. The study also found no significant improvement in student attainment at nearby primary schools as a result of free schools.
While there has been a general trend toward reducing school segregation in England, areas with newly established free schools experienced the opposite trend. Researchers attributed this to some free schools attracting a more homogenous student body compared to their local communities, leading to both “self-segregation” among minority ethnic families and perceived “white flight.”
The presence of free schools also impacted enrollment at nearby schools. Primary schools close to free schools experienced a decline in reception-year numbers, while secondary schools saw a more significant and consistent decrease of 4.5% in Year 7 entrants over a six-year period. This decline in student numbers has raised concerns among school leaders, as funding is largely based on student enrollment.
One primary school head noted that the free school affected their student numbers and financial resources, which in turn impacted the curriculum they could offer. Schools in deprived areas also reported an increase in students requiring substantial resources, potentially due to free schools enrolling fewer students with such needs. Some heads feared that their “solidly good” schools might face closure as a result.
The free schools initiative was part of Gove’s broader education reforms under the coalition government, allowing any group of teachers, parents, or charities to establish a school, regardless of local authority demand. More than 650 free schools are now operational.
While nearby secondary schools did experience a modest improvement in student attainment in English and maths after a free school opened, this gain was likely linked to these schools attracting more advantaged students. Secondary schools that enrolled a significantly more disadvantaged student body did not show similar improvements following the opening of a free school nearby.
The UCL study on free schools revealed that, contrary to claims of high standards, primary free schools performed worse than a comparable group of similar schools, and secondary free schools showed no significant difference in performance.
School leaders at nearby institutions reported feeling competitive pressures from the new free schools. This competition often led them to focus more on marketing and enhancing their external appeal rather than improving their teaching quality. The highest levels of perceived competition were found in cases where free schools attracted aspirational or middle-class families with a “quasi-private school ethos.”
Rob Higham, associate professor at UCL’s Institute of Education and lead author of the study, stated, “Our findings indicate that the introduction of free schools often generates new competition. However, faced with these market pressures, neighboring schools rarely focused on changing or innovating classroom practices.”
He added, “Not all free schools create such choice and competition, but where they do, it has the potential to exacerbate social divisions within the education system, including increasing the social segregation of students.”
Researchers found that nearby schools were more likely to become destabilised if they served a deprived neighbourhood, lost students due to a free school and were downgraded to below “good” by Ofsted just before or after a free school opened. They said this could start “a cycle of decline”, further concentrating disadvantaged students into certain schools and creating the need for cuts.
The report comes before this week’s GCSE results, which some experts warn may start to decline as a legacy of school closures due to Covid. Last week’s A-level results saw record highs for the proportion of A* and A grades awarded. In maths, 42% of 18-year-olds in England got A* or As.
The Department for Education said: “Making sure all schools are inclusive places, so that every child gets the best start in life, is at the heart of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. The children’s wellbeing bill will introduce a range of changes to ensure children are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly. This includes measures to require state-funded schools to cooperate with the local authority on school admissions, Send inclusion, and ensure admissions decisions account for the needs of communities.”
A Conservative party spokesman said: “Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet, which is why in government we drove school standards up from when Labour left office – meaning 90% of schools are now good or outstanding.
“Free schools were a part of that mission – creating thousands of new school places for children in England, including for those living in disadvantaged areas, who have special educational needs and disabilities, or require alternative provision. We urge the government to continue our work to improve school standards, including ensuring children in England remain the best readers in the western world as they are today.”