Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is distancing himself from free schools, a key plank of the coalition's education policy in England.
In a speech on Thursday, the deputy PM will say he disagrees with Conservative Education Secretary Michael Gove over the flexibility given to the schools.
He will say they should be made to follow the national curriculum, and not employ unqualified teachers.
Downing Street expressed surprise at Mr Clegg's comments.
"As recently as last week, the Lib Dem Schools Minister David Laws was 100% behind the coalition's free schools policy which makes Nick Clegg's comments all the more surprising," a spokesman said.
Mr Gove's allies have accused Mr Clegg of misunderstanding free schools, which are up by parents and other groups and are state funded but operate outside local authority control.
They were established under a policy pioneered by Mr Gove and since September 2011 more than 170 have been opened across England.
Analysis
For three-and-a-half years, the Lib Dems have been part of a coalition that was committed to free schools.
But some of these schools have had bad publicity recently. Nick Clegg wants to see changes that would "reassure parents".
That would mean less flexibility and the imposition of certain minimum standards.
But those close to the education secretary made it clear they were given no advance warning of the deputy prime minister's speech, and Downing Street officials are hinting that No 10 had been equally unsighted.
Nick Clegg concedes he will not get his changes past the education secretary before the election, so he will pledge to make them in the next Lib Dem manifesto.
But his criticism has ruffled Conservative feathers and his partners are suggesting the move owes more to the Lib Dem leader's need to form a coalition with his own core voters than it does to education policy. Expect to see further examples of where the coalition parties disagree in the run up to the general election.
Currently free schools have discretion over what to teach, but in his speech to a school in north London, Mr Clegg will say, "What's the point of having a national curriculum if only a few schools have to teach it?"
His next party manifesto will also say all schools should adhere to new standards on meals and demand that teachers are either qualified or near qualification.
Last week, the head teacher of a primary free school in the city of Westminster who was still studying for her postgraduate certificate in education stood down following criticism from Labour councillors.
There was also controversy when the Al-Madinah free school in Derby was classed as inadequate by education inspectors.
In his speech to a London school this week, Mr Clegg will say: "I'm proud of our work over the last three years to increase school autonomy, which, in government with the Conservatives, has been through the academies programme."
But he will go on to question "aspects of schools policy currently affected by the priorities of the Conservative Party which I would not want to see continue".
Mr Clegg will add: "Whilst I want to give schools the space to innovate, I also believe every parent needs reassurance that the school their child attends, whatever its title or structure, meets certain core standards of teaching and care. A parental guarantee, if you like.
"Start Quote
End Quote Nick Clegg on qualified teachersI want every parent to know that their child will benefit from this kind of high quality teaching"
"Parents don't want ideology to get in the way of their children's education.
"They don't care about the latest political label attached to their child's school. What they want, and expect, is that their children are taught by good teachers, get taught a core body of knowledge and get a healthy meal every day."
He will say there has been "a revolution in the way in which we've recruited and trained our teachers" with schemes such as Teach First and Schools Direct.
"And I want every parent to know that their child will benefit from this kind of high quality teaching.
"That's why I believe we should have qualified teachers in all our schools."
Independent Academies Association chairman Nick Weller, who oversees several free schools in Bradford, said: "As a responsible employer I think I'd want every member of staff to be fully qualified if they're teaching - it's only that way that they can earn a full amount of money, a good wage and it's only that way you can open up career opportunities later on."
But he told BBC Breakfast he could understand schools employing some non-qualified staff such as a former sportsperson for the PE department or a computer programmer for the ICT department.
'Misunderstanding'Lib Dem sources have told the BBC that Mr Clegg argued for his proposed changes in cabinet but they were blocked by Mr Gove.
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says Mr Gove's allies in turn accuse Mr Clegg of "fundamentally misunderstanding" the nature of free schools.
The Department for Education will maintain that free schools were helping to achieve the government's ambition to allow parents to choose schools, our correspondent adds.
Under plans announced by Labour, parent groups and other organisations would be able to set up schools outside local authority control, although local authorities would have greater powers to intervene when there were concerns about standards.
But last week, shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said a future Labour government would allow most existing free schools to remain open.
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