Free Schools are normally brand-new schools set up by charities, universities, business, community or faith groups, teachers and groups of parents where there is parental demand. Academies are usually a change to an existing maintained school.
Legally the structure is the same, and they are expected to meet the same requirements as other Academies. Free Schools will also benefit from the same freedoms and flexibilities as Academies, including:
- the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff
- freedom from following the National Curriculum
- greater control of their budget
- freedom to change the length of terms and school days
- freedom from local authority control.
Taxonomy upgrade extras: