Parents are to be given the power to demand a change to their secondary school leadership by voting in a ballot.
Under the scheme, unveiled by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, where parents in England vote for change, the education authority will have to bring in an accredited provider with a track record of successfully operating schools elsewhere.
Mr Brown and Schools Secretary Ed Balls announced the first wave of providers to be given an Accredited School kitemark, enabling them to run chains of secondaries.
Some 200 schools are already eligible to become accredited, and ministers expect this figure to rise to 500 by 2015, when every school will have the opportunity to join a chain.
Interested schools and organisations will also be able to apply for accredited status to set up chains at primary level.
The Government plans to recruit 150 primary accredited providers over the next year, backed by £10 million of investment, which will support other primary schools and work to raise them to the same standard.
Speaking at a school in north London, Mr Brown spoke of the "anger and frustration" he felt at seeing his own contemporaries fail to fulfil their potential because of poor educational standards. And he promised: "We simply will not accept second best when it comes to the future of our children."
Mr Brown announced the first six groups accredited to run three or more schools, including: Barnfield College, Luton; Outwood Grange, Wakefield; Kemnal Trust, Bromley; Woodard Schools; Greenwood Dale Trust Nottingham; and the Harris Federation of south London schools.
Mr Brown said: "When schools partner with other schools - operating under a common leadership brand, with a shared ethos, and a shared commitment to excellence, standards are raised for all - the stronger schools and the weaker schools.
"So today I want to set off a chain reaction in our schools with these recognised brands merging with or taking over our weaker and coasting schools."
