The British government has ordered the closure of a charter school for the first time after education inspectors found standards unacceptably poor.
The Discovery New School in Crawley, West Sussex, has had its funding pulled after failing to make the required improvements.
Charter or partnership schools are known as free schools in Britain.
There are 174 in England, two of which, including the Crawley school, have been found to be providing inadequate standards of education.
The BBC reports the closure will be embarrassing for the government, as free schools are one of its flagship education policies.
It says, however, that free schools overall are providing a good standard of education.
