Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove has hinted a Conservative government would allow commercial organisations to take a bigger role in state schools.
The party has so far emphasised that its plans to allow new providers to enter the market would not allow firms to profit from school budgets. But Gove told the Financial Times that: "If a group of parents or teachers want to work with a private sector organisation then that is a good thing."
He pointed to EdisonLearning's success in turning around Turin Grove school in Edmonton, north London. The firm was paid on the basis of a "management fee" rather than directly profiting from the school.
In a speech over the weekend, the shadow schools secretary also said he hoped the "free schools" policy would drain students from independent education
“I have absolutely nothing against parents who make a decision to spend money on their children's education but I would like to see more children educated in the state sector," he said. “I would like to see some schools that are currently in the independent sector become state schools.”
Gove also used the FT interview to soften the party's objections to the private finance initiative. Schools could still be built using PFI, he said, even thought he was "not a huge fan of the PFI system."