RESPONDING to the news of the latest school approvals announced by the Department for Education, Natalie Evans, Director of the New Schools Network, commented:

“These latest approvals bring the total number of free schools open or approved to open to over 360. They include Bristol Futures Academy, an alternative provision school for 11-16 year olds in Bristol.

“We’ve seen the popularity of free schools across the country continue to grow – amongst both groups wanting to set up new schools and parents wanting to secure a place for their child.

"In a recent survey of parents by Populus, 81 per cent of parents in the South West who expressed a view said they thought a free school would be welcome in their local area and 71 per cent said they would consider sending their child to a free school.”