The Right to Choose aims to give everyone the kind of opportunities that today only money can buy. We will increase the number of good school places available to taxpayer-funded pupils.

Funding for schools will follow the pupil, so that good schools have an incentive to expand, new schools have an incentive to open, and underperforming schools are encouraged to improve.

Our policy has three elements.

The Right to Choose

• The parents of all school-age children – at primary, secondary and sixth-form levels – will have the Right to Choose the best school for their child. Any family may apply to any State school: local councils will not decide admissions. Parents will also be entitled to send their child to an independent school which can offer a good education for the cost of a State school place – which will be around £5,500 on average by 2007-08.
  
  
• The Right to Choose will impose competitive pressure on underperforming schools to raise their game, or lose their pupils.
  
  
• Schools which persistently fail their pupils will be taken over by new management – or lose their right to taxpayer funding.

Freedom for Professionals

• Conservatives will consolidate funding streams so that money follows the pupil – greatly simplifying the financing of schools.
  
  
• We will scrap targets on schools imposed from Whitehall.
  
  
• We will end the Surplus Places Rule, so that good schools are able to expand to meet local demand.
  
  
• We will abolish Appeals Panels so that head teachers are once again in charge of discipline policy and are able to establish their authority in
  the classroom.
  
  
• Heads and governors will be able to allocate their own budgets and vary the pay and conditions of staff.

The Right to Supply

• Any good school – charitable or commercial – that can offer a good education for the same cost as a State school will be entitled to receive taxpayer funding.
  
  
• Schools that receive taxpayer funding will not be allowed to charge parents fees.
  
  
• Conservatives will invest to reform. Our spending plans provide for an extra £15 billion a year to be available for schools by 2009-10 beyond the spending we will inherit from Labour. This will enable us to pay for the extra capacity that will make choice a reality – including a School Expansion Fund to pay for the equivalent of 260 new secondary schools.