Independent state-run schools are a relatively recent international and transnational phenomena emerging in dissimilar socio-political contexts. A number of education systems around the world have designed policy to free up the public education, making it possible for private organisations to run stand alone and groups of state-funded schools. Most of these schools and their sponsoring organisations operate in urban settings serving high proportions of students identified as “at risk”. This is particularly the case in England where the Academies programme was originally launched to turn around failing inner city schools.  Most of these schools operate within one country but there are examples of providers who run schools across international boarders. For example, there are Swedish Free School sponsors opening up schools in England and American Charter School sponsors that consult English Academies. The exchange of policy ideas and practice across English, Swedish and American settings has led to the development of this programme of research focusing on the differences and similarities between Charter Schools, Academies and Free Schools in England, Sweden and the USA. All these independent state-run schools enjoy certain freedoms distinguishing them from traditional state-run schools in their countries. It is argued that this independence offers a range of opportunities to tackle local challenges and to increase competition leading to improvement.  Features of self-government shared by American Charter Schools, English Academies and Swedish Free Schools include, for example, increased autonomy over curriculum, student admission and the governance of local education authorities. On the other hand they still operate under the national monitoring systems such as school inspections and national examinations. The emergence of these schools has shaped the English, American and Swedish education markets especially in urban locations where competition is fierce between local schools and in addition to the opportunities offered there are also a number of issues, tensions and dilemmas that have emerged as these developments have evolved.

The focus of this research is on the governance and educational provision in state-run independent schools – an area that to date has not received rigorous academic attention. Hence there is a paucity of research evidence and how these governing models have developed in contexts is rarely contested. This paper seeks to explore the range of structures and processes for governance, leadership and management and the nature and breadth of education provided by these schools.  The findings from this paper will provide further insights into the cross cultural developments of Academies, Free Schools and Charter Schools and thus deepens our understanding of the phenomenon of state-run independent schools.

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