More than 50 free schools will start the new term this week, which is more than twice as many as last year.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said he hoped the new schools would be "equally successful" as the 24 which launched last September.

He has faced criticism after some free schools slated to open this week failed over the summer, including the One in a Million free school in Bradford, which abandoned its plans for 2012 last week.

Mr Gove said: "Every child should have the choice to go to an excellent local school. These new schools have been set up by idealistic people who are determined to give parents the kind of choice that only the rich can currently afford.

"The first 24 free schools are enormously popular and I expect this second wave to be equally successful".