by political editor Paul Francis

A political row has broken out over plans by Kent county councillors and education chiefs for a fact-finding visit to see schools in Sweden.

Kent County Council's Conservative administration is preparing to send a group of county councillors along with head teachers and officers to visit what are known as 'free schools'.

In 2008, senior education officials from County Hall travelled to Sweden for a similar purpose, but no report on the trip has ever been made public.

The Conservative party nationally has signalled it wants to adopt the concept of free schools in the UK if it forms the next government.

The exact costs of the planned trip are not yet known - but opposition Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Trudy Dean said the Conservative party rather than the taxpayer should foot the bill.

She said: "If you want to see schools elsewhere which might become Conservative policy, then maybe the Conservative party should pay for it."

She also argued if it was to go ahead, any group should consist of councillors from all parties.

The move has sparked wide-ranging criticism from members of KCC’s education watchdog committee, with even one Conservative complaining the trip was unnecessary.

Cllr Ken Pugh (Con), county councillor for Sheerness, said: "I appreciate we may need to be prepared but surely there are other ways [of doing it] like using video-conferencing. Maybe later we could consider it but not initially."

But Cllr Sarah Hohler (Con), KCC's cabinet member for children's services who revealed details of next month's planned trip, said it would be beneficial.

She argued: "We thought it would be a good idea if a small group of us went to see if they were working in practice and to see whether educational outcomes [at the schools] have improved. If there was to be a Conservative government that brought in the policy, it would be prudent for us to see what is involved.

"We must not build this out of proportion. We're not talking about going for a long time with a big group of people."

In 2005, KCC sparked controversy when it took nearly 100 head teachers to America for a study tour to four states at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.

What is the 'free school' system?

The 'free school' system allows private companies, possibly set up by groups of parents, to establish independent schools that remain funded by the state.
The concept of free schools has drawn mixed views in Sweden.

A recent report by Skolverket, the National Education Agency, concluded they were an inefficient use of funds that drove up the overall cost of education, when they are supposed to achieve the opposite.

However, they have been popular with many parents.