Development Programme

Over the last two years NSN has helped hundreds of groups prepare applications for Free Schools. In that time it has become increasingly clear that groups in areas of high need face additional challenges.

The Development Programme is designed to give groups extra support if they:

• Have extraordinary potential;
• Demonstrably need extra help; and
• Are in areas with a particular need for good new places.

This help is in addition to the support NSN will provide all groups who wish to set up new schools – training events, personal and specialist advice and publications.

The NSN Development Programme is not funded by the DfE and is not part of the Government’s accreditation process. It is designed to help fulfil our charitable objectives.

This year – the first year of the programme – we will be awarding extra support to up to 20 groups who wish to open Free Schools in September 2013.  We will only consider groups wanting to set up schools in 2014 under exceptional circumstances.

All the groups who are accepted will receive:

• Extra specialist support;
• Additional training seminars; and
• Mock interviews.

In addition groups can ask for:

• Help finding individuals to fill skills gaps on the steering group.

Mainstream and Special groups can also request:

• Funding to help collect evidence of demand from parents

Parental demand is not a requirement for AP Free Schools.

The point of the Development Programme is not to give help to groups who already have what they need. We are looking for potential, not the finished product – that way we can ensure our help has the greatest impact.

Of the 20 places available we will aim to help around 12 mainstream groups with the rest split between Special school groups and Alternative Provision groups. However the quality of applications will be the overriding factor and may change those ratios.