Monty Python member Eric Idle attended the Royal School Wolverhampton . A £29,000-a-year boarding school will scrap all its fees this September to become one of David Cameron 's latest free schools . The Royal School Wolverhampton , whose former pupils include the Monty Python member Eric Idle , will become a state school – with no fees to attend . The boarding school was one of 49 new free schools announced by the Prime Minister yesterday as part of a major expansion of the policy which allows schools to be set up by community groups including parents , charities or teachers . An extra 500 free schools will be opened by 2020 under a Conservative government , Mr Cameron said . The Royal School Wolverhampton is the latest of several private schools to scrap fees and take state funding via the free schools programme . The most prestigious was Liverpool College , while others included William Hulme Grammar School in Manchester , Queen Elizabeth ’ s Grammar School in Blackburn , and Chetwynde School in Barrow in Furness . Pupils at the school who don ’ t board currently pay fees of £13,230 – but this will fall to nothing from September . Families of children who board will see their fees drop to a boarding charge of between £10,000 and £14,000 a year . The school , in grounds of 25 acres , currently has 538 pupils , of whom 139 are boarders . As a state school it will expand to 1,200 children , with boarders dropping slightly to around 110 . Free schools were introduced in 2010 to allow parents and community groups to set up their own schools . They are independent from local authorities but must still undergo Ofsted inspections . Supporters say they help to drive up standards by creating competition with existing schools , but Labour has opposed their creation in areas with a surplus of places where they are not needed . The new plan to open at least 500 of the schools by 2020 mean an extra 270,000 places . In a speech in London , Mr Cameron said : 'If you vote Conservative , you will see the continuation of the free schools programme at the rate you 've seen in the last three years . 'That means , over the next parliament , we hope to open at least 500 new free schools resulting in 270,000 new school places . 'Remember - we 're the only party that is committed to this . The only party that 's opening up the education system so we can get more good places for your children . The Royal School Wolverhampton was one of 49 new free schools announced by the Prime Minister yesterday . 'And is n't that what every parent wants - a great education for their child ? You deserve the security of knowing your child is getting just that . And with the Conservatives you should expect nothing less . ' He also backed the idea of existing grammar schools . Taking questions from the audience , Mr Cameron was asked about comments he made in 2007 that a 'pledge to build more grammar schools would be an electoral albatross ' . He insisted : ' I have never said that grammar schools are an albatross , grammar schools are good schools and I like good schools . I want there to be good schools for people to send their children to . 'What I 've said about grammar schools is , like other schools that are good , if they want to expand they should be able to expand . I have been very consistent about that . ' Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said she would not allow free schools to make a profit , despite the move being supported by her predecessor Michael Gove . She said she wanted each school to 'make the right choice for them ' about whether to become a free school or academy . David Cameron talks with school children during a visit to The Green School for girls in west London today . Asked if she could rule out a Tory government allowing free schools to make a profit , she told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme : 'Yes I can rule it out , I think having for profit education is something that would make me feel very uncomfortable and it is not something that is needed . 'We have excellent sponsors like charities and others or parent groups wanting to run schools and they are doing an excellent job up and down the country . ' Mrs Morgan 's insistence that there would be no profit-making schools for the whole of the next parliament suggests a shift in policy from her predecessor . Mr Gove , who lost his job as Education Secretary in July , had advocated allowing profit-making to encourage companies to set up successful free schools . In May 2012 he said : 'It 's my belief that we could move to that situation but at the moment it 's important to recognise that the free schools movement is succeeding without that element and I think we should cross that bridge when we come to it . ' Labour has criticised the free schools policy , claiming it can lead to money being channelled to areas where there is a surplus of school places instead of being targeted at areas where classes are overcrowded .
Royal School Wolverhampton will become a state school this year . Boarding school 49 of one free schools announced by the PM yesterday . Cameron said there would be 500 more free schools by the end of 2020 . Comes on top of more than 400 opened under the coalition government . Free schools can be opened by parents , charities and teaching groups .