Feature: Critics give low marks to Cameron's free schools drive

Britain's biggest teachers' union, the NUT, launched a scathing attack Wednesday after Prime Minister David Cameron reaffirmed the government's commitment to open 500 new free schools over the next five years.

Most schools in Britain come under the control of local councils, covering cities, towns and counties, but that is rapidly changing.

Free schools can be opened by teachers, parents, businesses, religious groups or various organizations to offer an alternative to council schools, the mainstay of Britain's education system for over a century.

Cameron on Wednesday announced a list of the next 18 free schools to be approved, fuelling criticism from opposition politicians and teachers' leaders.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, accused Cameron of "peddling a series of untruths and misrepresentations about the ideological academy and free school programme".

Blower added: "This is despite the growing body of evidence that the government is pursuing the wrong policies whilst ignoring the very real challenges facing schools. David Cameron's claim that free schools are likely to perform better than other schools is ludicrous.

"While the government continues to play politics with schools in pursuit of its own ideological agenda, schools in the real world are suffering the fall-out from 10 percent budget cuts in real terms, and a growing teacher crisis as fewer recruits enter the profession and more experienced teachers choose to leave it."

Cameron, in his statement Wednesday, vowed he will 'not waver' in his commitment to open 500 new free schools over the next 5 years, pledging to deliver two waves of new schools every year until 2020.

"The government's commitment to open 500 free schools over the next 5 years will create 270,000 school places across the country - giving parents more choice while challenging existing schools to up their game," said the Prime Minister.

The new free schools announced today will bring the total number of free school places created since 2010 to more than 236,000, making this policy the most successful new schools programme, with schools being created more quickly than ever before, said Cameron.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan called Wednesday for more groups to step forward, invest in the next generation and 'reap the rewards that opening a free school can bring'.

Morgan said she is committed to streamlining the process for existing high performing schools and encouraging businesses, charities, cultural and sporting bodies to enter the 'free school' program.

Cameron added: "We are clear that every family should have access to a great local school and every child should get the very best education - and free schools are a crucial part of that aim. The aim of this policy is crystal clear - to increase the number of good and outstanding school places so that more parents have the security of knowing their child is getting a great education."

The Labor Party's Tristram Hunt, Opposition spokesman on Education accused the government of missing the bigger problem of a teacher recruitment crisis by its focus on free schools.

He said: "As children begin the new school year, more and more pupils are being taught by non-specialists and supply teachers, due to the teacher recruitment crisis. Shortages in teacher supply are set to get worse. This should be the priority for education ministers."

Critics fear free-schools will create a two tier system of education by creaming off the brightest students. The idea of self-rule schools, outside the state system of education, has been imported from Sweden and the US where they are known as "charter schools". Endit