The Schools Minister has praised the strict discipline of the best free schools after Eton College announced a new sixth form in Middlesbrough.

Nick Gibb highlighted Michaela Community School in London for its strict discipline and 'no minute wasted' approach to education.

The announcement has provoked resistance from Andy McDonald, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough. 

Mr McDonald believes that the new free schools will 'cream off' the best students in the area and further put pressure on struggling schools.

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Nick Gibb said: "We are announcing 15 free schools, they are essentially schools established from scratch by either teachers, education trusts or other schools.

"We opened the bidding and we wanted schools to demonstrate that they provide very high-quality education and how they are doing it.

"Show that they would be opening the schools in areas where the standards aren't as high as they should be or where there is a shortage of places.

"In Middlesbrough, we have a very exciting project, a partnership between Eton College and STAR. STAR is a multi-academy trust which is made up of about 30 schools.

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"They are very high-quality trust. Their schools are right at the top. Seven of the top 15 schools are free schools. Two in the top five are from the STAR trust.

"Middlesbrough is going to get one of the first three Eton/STAR sixth forms and there will be places for 480 pupils.

"They hope to get more of their young people into Oxford and Cambridge."

Mr Gibb responded to criticism from Andy McDonald who believes that the new sixth form will simply 'cream off' the best pupils in the area.

He said: "This is only one thing that we are doing in the department.

"We are helping other schools that are struggling with other programmes and if you look at your record since 2010 we have moved from 68% of schools being graded Good or Outstanding to 88% now. 

"We want that 88% to be 100% but we have a significant school improvement programme for those other schools.

"Part of pushing up those standards are free schools.

"There are 160 more free schools in the pipeline to open beyond today.

"They are about bringing innovation and high standards into the school system.

"Michaela for example, in Brent, London, 95% of students are getting a grade 5 or above in English and Maths.

"The standards in some of these free schools are astronomic.

"They are designed to bring about innovation."

When asked to outline the innovation which free schools have brought into their schools Mr Gibb praised the disciplinarian approach of Michaela Community School in London.

He added: "Michaela they have a very knowledge-rich curriculum and it is regarded as the strictest school in Britain.

"I have been there a few times if you go there you see very happy children, the behaviour is exemplary.

"No minutes are wasted at that school, there are very high expectations of behaviour while they are at that school. 

"The young people there will do their homework and that matters a lot. There's no bullying.

"They have silent corridors, they have to face the front and concentrate.

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"You talk to the children and they are happy and content and they know a lot.

"They have a thing called family lunch where they all sit around six to a table and each of them has a job, getting the food from the counter and serving it. 

"There is one conversation they have to have, they are led by the teacher at the front of the room."