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21 April 2026

Tag: free schools

‘Social need’ free schools would combat racist abuse in classrooms, charity claims

Allowing free schools to open where there is a “social need” would increase community integration and help prevent racist abuse in classrooms, a free school campaign group has claimed. The New Schools Network (NSN) has today released an analysis of exclusion data that reveals 20 children are excluded from school each day for racist abuse, arguing that […]

£2bn fund revealed for DfE free school property company

A company set up by the Department for Education (DfE) to buy new free school sites will be given a £2 billion warchest to ensure it delivers 500 new schools by 2020. Schools Week revealed last month that the department has set up a company, called LocatED, to take over responsibility for finding and purchasing new […]

Free school bid changes pave way for more studio schools – despite spate of closures

New rules governing the opening of free schools could pave the way for more studio schools, it has been claimed, despite question marks over their viability after scores of failed projects had to close. The new guidelines for would-be sponsors of free schools have already prompted fears that it could spark a “free-for-all” as the government […]

Fears of ‘free-for-all’ as government opens up free school bid criteria

New free schools will be allowed to open if their proposers can demonstrate a “social need” or “significant demand” from parents under new changes announced by the government which have sparked fears of a “free-for-all”. The Department for Education has released updated guidance on the application criteria for bids from sponsors, marking a significant departure […]

Delayed free school cancelled over site issues

A free school plagued by delays has now been scrapped without teaching a single pupil after problems finding a site – raising questions about the feasibility of delivering David Cameron’s pledge to open 500 new schools by 2020. Gladstone School was due to open in September 2014, but was forced to delay its opening two years running after the Department […]

High court backs government in landmark free school site ruling

A high court judge has ruled in favour of the government in a landmark planning battle over a free school site, fuelling claims that councils can now be “ignored” over where new schools are located. Greg Clark (pictured above), the former secretary of state for communities and local government, earlier this year granted Khalsa Secondary […]