The Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Michael Gove has unveiled the first step towards the first Free Schools by inviting groups interested in setting up a new school to come forward and start developing their proposals.
Free Schools are all-ability state-funded schools set up in response to parental demand. The most important element of a great education is the quality of teaching and Free Schools will enable excellent teachers to create schools and improve standards for all children, regardless of their background.
Under the new plans it will become much easier for charities, universities, businesses, educational groups, teachers and groups of parents to get involved and start new schools. Ministers are working right across Government to remove the red tape which can prevent new schools from setting up from planning laws, to the Department’s own school premises rules.
For those interested in having a new school in their area, but without the time or experience to set one up, there will be advice available from the New Schools Network, an independent charity. The New Schools Network can also link them with more experienced groups and other parents to help make a new school a reality.
As part of this process announced by ministers, the Department will work with a range of different groups who want to join this first wave of Free Schools. By working with these early groups, the Department will support them to iron out any difficulties they face, and develop the models for the development of future Free Schools. We expect the first of these schools to be able to open in September 2011.
These new schools will be academies, which are publicly funded independent schools, free from local authority control. They will enjoy the same freedoms as traditional academies, which include setting their own pay and conditions for staff, freedom from following the National Curriculum and the ability to change the lengths of their terms and school days. All Free Schools will be accountable like other state schools via inspections and tests.
Any groups interested in establishing a new Free School may contact the New Schools Network to discuss their ideas before filling out a proposal form.
The Secretary of State for Education has also written to all local authorities setting out the Department's new policy on Free Schools.
Download the letter to local authorities [pdf, 400kb]
You can access the press notice announcing the process for setting up Free Schools from this page.