Free Schools (England)

Free schools are state-funded but independently run schools in England, introduced under the Academies Act 2010 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, drawing on ideas from Sweden's free school system and US charter schools. They can be established by groups including parents, teachers, charities, businesses or religious organizations, and while funded by central government rather than local authorities, they have greater freedom over curriculum, teacher pay and the school calendar than a typical local-authority-maintained school.