Resources

Planning your free school proposal may feel daunting. We have aimed to simplify this process by collating a range of guidance available from the Department for Education (DfE) and other sources. This resource includes a list of documents intended to help groups who are applying to open a primary, secondary or 16-19 mainstream free school.

As part of the free school application process, it is important to have an understanding of how your proposed school will impact on the existing provision in your area. In previous waves, demonstrating basic need for a new school has been a key requirement. This resource outlines a variety of resources that applicants can use to build a basic need case for their chosen area and explains how to interpret the school capacity (SCAP) data tables.

Having strong project management is critical in ensuring all tasks in pre-opening are completed efficiently to allow your free school to open.  Your project manager needs to have a strong understanding of the various risks and tasks that your project will involve. An introduction to these is available from our opening tools. Based on vast experience and developed in line with the DfE’s pre-opening guidance, these tools will help you consider your project management tasks and schedules when preparing to open your free school.

Having strong project management is critical in ensuring all tasks in pre-opening are completed efficiently to allow your free school to open.  Your project manager needs to have a strong understanding of the various risks and tasks that your project will involve. An introduction to these is available from our opening tools. Based on vast experience and developed in line with the DfE’s pre-opening guidance, these tools will help you consider your project management tasks and schedules when preparing to open your free school.

Establishing a strong governance structure in the pre-opening period is essential to the continued success of your trust and of your free school. During pre-opening, you will need to submit a complete governance plan to the DfE for approval. This guidance aims to provide an overview of what needs to be included in the governance plan you will submit to the DfE. It includes practical guidance and lessons learned from groups that have opened free schools in the past.