NO - TOBY YOUNG, member of the steering committee, West London Free School
The biggest divide in English education is between the private and state sector. Free schools, which will be independently run but taxpayer-funded, will provide a bridge between those two.
Something has to be done to close the attainment gap between state schools and private schools, and I believe free schools can do precisely that.
Provided they are subject to school admissions criteria, which they will be, they will benefit all children, not just the progeny of those who set them up.
YES - CHRIS KEATES, general secretary, NASUWT
The free schools programme is based on a flawed and ideological premise that will lead to fragmented communities and greater social segregation.
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