Free Schools set the standard for school accountability to the local community

Free Schools, given their freedom from local authorities, have been criticised for lacking accountability, including by Chris Waterman recently on Democratic Audit. Here Natalie Evans, Director of the New Schools Network, argues that, on the contrary, Free Schools are in fact more transparent and accountable than the majority of schools. Subject not only to the same inspections and monitoring as any school, they are also uniquely accountable to their local communities.