At-a-glance: Tory schools policy

The Tories have published their new education policy. Here are the main proposals.

Teacher freedoms

• All schools would get grant-maintained status

• Head teachers and governors would be able to control their own budgets, set pay and conditions for staff and decide their admissions policies, including whether to select pupils by ability

• Schools would have the final say on discipline, including whether to expel pupils

• There will be an expansion of pupil referral units for excluded children and financial incentives for schools who take in pupils excluded elsewhere.

Funding

• Schools spending to £62bn in 2009/10. Labour has promised to spend £47bn on schools in 2005/6 and £77bn on education overall in 2007/8

• There should be one single funding stream, say the Tories, who claim there are 107 different cash streams under Labour.

School places

• The number of school places expanded by between 550,000 and 600,000

• There are currently between 107 and 110 school places per 100 pupils, say the Tories. They want to increase the ratio to between 115 and 120 places per 100 pupils

• There will be a new school fund offering up-front cash for schools to grow or for new schools to be set up

• Planning rules will be changed to allow more school building.

Choice

• Parents would be able to choose any school in their area

• Cut price independent schools to be able to get state funding as long as they charge no more than the state price, about £5,500 per pupil each year, for all their children

• There would not be "passports" or "vouchers". Instead, state money would go automatically to the school of choice
• Unlike Tory health plans, parents would not be able to use public cash to help pay fees at private schools charging more than the state tariff.

'Failing' schools

• Schools which fail Ofsted inspections or hit financial problems would be given nine to 12 months to start improving

• If they fail to turn themselves around, a new head teacher and board of governors will be installed

• If the new management team fails to improve the school within nine to 12 months, the school will be shut down.