Free schools outperform other types of non-selective state schools across each key stages for which national data is collected:
Latest data for the academic year to 2024 from the DFE show that in Primary*:
*In primary the comparison is between mainstream free schools and all state funded mainstream schools – the DfE data does not breakdown the special school data into maintained, academy or free school.
Latest data for the academic year to 2024 from the DFE show that in Secondary*:
* In secondary the comparison is mainstream free schools and where relevant 16-19 free schools, not including UTCs or studio schools – the DfE data does not breakdown the special school data into maintained, academy or free school.