Development Programme FAQs

Why doesn’t everyone get this extra support?

Two reasons – money and need. We cannot afford to provide all groups with this extra support, although we hope to raise enough money to expand the number of places in future. We are also basing the Development Programme on need – groups in some areas face a tougher time finding qualified people or getting to parents. They are the priority for our help.  However all groups will continue to receive the help needed from the NSN team to fill in a good application to the DfE.

If I get on the Development Programme will it make sure I get a Free School?

We are not the government and successfully applying for a place on the NSN Development Programme will have no effect on how the government assesses your application – it is not a ‘badge’.  We would also expect many more than 20 groups to be approved – for instance we are hoping there will be 100 Free Schools opening next year.  The help we give all groups should be enough to ensure you have a high quality application for the DfE, providing you have the expertise and are willing to put in the work.

However we would expect that the help provided by the programme will improve your application – and your school - significantly. Otherwise there’s no point!

If you have any other questions please contact us at development@newschoolsnetwork.org