BRISTOL Cathedral Choir School is gathering support for its bid to open a primary free school next year.

Applications opened on Monday for groups that want to open a free school in 2013. The Government's closing date is February 24.

Free schools are an innovation of the coalition Government and are intended to raise standards in education, to improve choice for parents, and to make sure the system responds to demands from communities.

Like academies, they have more freedom over their curriculum, how money is spent and the length of the school day.

One of the first 24 to open was Bristol Free School, which launched in the north of the city last year to provide a neighbourhood secondary school for students in BS9.

Schools Minister Lord Hill said: "When we opened the first round of applications for free schools, there was plenty of scepticism. Would anyone really want to open a new school? Would busy parents and teachers find the time to do it? The answer to these questions was a resounding 'yes'.

"I am therefore delighted to invite more talented groups to submit their plans to open free schools and studio schools in September 2013."

Groups wishing to set up new, state-funded schools are required to submit detailed plans on teaching and the curriculum and strong evidence of demand from local parents.

Bristol Cathedral Choir School wants to expand to an all-through school and has been seeking support from families.

It is asking parents of children aged four and five to register their interest before the application is submitted.

The school believes a new cathedral primary school would build on the success of the secondary school, which became a state-funded academy in 2008 and has specialisms in maths and music.

The primary free school would also help Bristol City Council meet the growing demand for school places, principal Neil Blundell said.

Another advantage would be to the cathedral choir, as children would be able to become choristers from the age of seven or eight, rather than 11.

Bristol Cathedral Choir's junior numbers have swelled from 12 to 44 as the school has grown over the past three years. But the young choristers have come from 30 different primaries whereas if the school had its own primary section a core group could work together for much longer.

BCCS has sought support from the independent Wells Cathedral School, which has a successful junior section, for its bid. If approved, the primary children would be housed on the BCCS city centre campus.

It is not known if any other groups from Bristol are planning to put in free school applications. It is possible an existing independent school might put in a bid to convert to a state-funded free school, something the Government is keen to encourage.

Applications are also being sought for studio schools, which are similar to free schools but offer a vocational curriculum. A bid for such a school in south Bristol was turned down earlier this year and its backers have not yet decided whether to reapply.