FREE schools will offer parents a better deal and thrive off parental involvement, education secretary Michael Gove told the Herts Ad on Friday.

Speaking exclusively to the paper about education issues, the Conservative MP said the two new free schools coming to the district would improve education standards across the area.

He said: “St Albans has lots of great schools but the free schools also provide the spur to do better, which any new kid on the block will always provide.

“They can’t rely on the catchment area that says a child has to go somewhere, they have to go out there and sell themselves to parents.”

He added: “That means that you get a process of schools trying to outdo each other in a bid to provide a great education for children and that’s a wonderful thing to see.”

Prior to visiting the Herts Ad newsroom, Mr Gove had visited the Alban City School on Hatfield Road. He said he had been very impressed with the team behind the new free school, which is set to open this September.

A detailed interview with MP Michael Gove will follow in this Thursday’s Herts Advertiser.