More free schools.

Free schools have been one of the most successful education reforms of recent decades. They have increased parental choice, raised standards and created new opportunities for children in communities where existing provision was not meeting local needs.

Many free schools serve areas of disadvantage and have shown how greater autonomy, strong leadership and a clear mission can deliver excellent outcomes for pupils from all backgrounds.

Expanding free school provision should remain an important part of raising standards and increasing opportunity.

Free School performance.

Phonics check

85% of pupils at primary free schools meet the required standard in the Phonics Screening Check compared to 81% of pupils at all mainstream primary state schools

Multiplication Check

The average attainment score in the Multiplication tables check was 21.8 for pupils at primary free schools, compared to an average of 21.0 in all mainstream primary state schools.

Key Stage 2

70% of pupils at free schools meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 compared to 64% of pupils at all state schools

Key Stage 4

49.3% of pupils at free schools achieved grades 5 or above in English and Maths GCSE, compared to an average of 46.3% in all mainstream state schools

Key Stage 5

86.5% of pupils at free schools and 88.5% of pupils at 16-19 free schools achieved grades A*-C in their A levels, compared with 84.9% at all state-funded schools and colleges.

“The best ones [free schools] responded to a clear need in their local community. In some areas, this was not just a need for new school places but also a need for a new approach that could disrupt the status quo, provide new opportunities for families, and encourage other schools to respond in kind.”

Baroness Morgan, Former Ofsted Chair

What makes a good free school.

The NSN spoke to founders, school leaders, teachers, and students from nine high impact – but very different – free schools about what underpinned their success.

This revealed 10 shared principles – the components that guide how these schools were designed and how they function.

A clear sense of mission and moral purpose

An incredibly strong sense of mission, vision, and culture, informs everything these schools do. It is driven by moral purpose and forms the central part of the school’s values, which are embedded into every aspect of school life. Staff and pupils are aware of these values and understand they are consistently applied.