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1700277

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date it became her Department's policy that free schools should only be (a) university technical colleges and (b) studio schools; for what reason this is her Department's policy; and for what reason local authorities have to be named in a bid to open an academy.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	21033
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>There has been no change to the department’s policy regarding the types of school that can open as part of the free schools programme.</p><p>In the most recent application waves, the department approved 15 mainstream free schools, two of which were new universal technical colleges (UTC), 41 special free schools and 20 alternative provision (AP) schools. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also announced a further wave of 15 special free schools as part of the Spring Budget.</p><p> </p><p>Since the programme started in 2010, the department has opened 701 free schools, made up of 542 mainstream schools, 51 AP schools, 108 special schools (125 of which are local authority presumption free schools and seven of which are specialist maths schools), 44 UTCs and 20 Studio schools. These schools will provide over 405,000 places at capacity, thereby helping to ensure that children and young people have access to a good quality school place in a range of different settings across the country. Overall, since 2010 the department has supported the creation of nearly 1.2 million new school places via various routes including opening new free schools.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are often named in an application for a free school as part of the process to identify a site for the proposed school. It can also help the department to understand the local context of the application and whether there is a need for that type of school in the area.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 29/04/2024 13:22:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

1694980

registered interest
date	11/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the free schools that have opened since 2011 by (a) type of school, (b) opening date and (c) closing date.
tabling member constituency	Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
tabling member printed	Nick Gibb
uin	17768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2024 answer text <p>The department publishes information about open free schools, including the date they opened. This is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development</a>.</p><p> </p><p>On the Get Information about Schools site, it is possible, by using the filter of ‘free schools’ and ‘closed’ in a search function, to bring up a list of all free schools that are now closed. The site is available at: <a href="https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Search?SelectedTab=Establishments" target="_blank">https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Search?SelectedTab=Establishments</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 19/03/2024 17:50:40 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb

1693380

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools were opened in each year from 2011 to 2023.
tabling member constituency	Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
tabling member printed	Nick Gibb
uin	16584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The department publishes information about open free schools, including the date they opened. This information is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development</a>.</p><p>The attached table provides the number of free schools opened each year from 2011 to 2023. This includes primary, secondary, all through and 16-19 age ranges of the following types of free schools: mainstream free schools, alternative provision free schools, special free schools and specialist maths schools. University technical colleges and Studio schools have been listed separately.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 12/03/2024 17:27:43 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds attachment 1 file name 16584_table_attachment - due 08.03.xlsx title 16584_table_attachment
tabling member	111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb

1471125

registered interest
date	16/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools there are as of 16 June 2022; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the free schools programme; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	Rob Roberts
uin	19719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2022 answer text <p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.</p><p>There are 613 open free schools which, based on the latest Ofsted judgements, will create more than 155,000 good and outstanding school places for children when at full capacity. Mainstream primary and secondary free schools are more likely to be rated good or outstanding by Ofsted than state-funded mainstream schools nationally and all open 16 to 19 free schools with an Ofsted judgement are good or outstanding.</p><p>The free schools programme remains an important part of the department’s plan to level up standards and respond where there is need for more school places.</p><p>The department launched a further round of free school applications on 10 June 2022 covering mainstream, special, and alternative provision free schools. The mainstream wave is seeking to approve free schools where there is the greatest need for new school places, prioritising proposals in Education Investment Areas. This will include a targeted number of new academic 16 to 19 free schools to help talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds get to leading universities.</p><p>Further information on free school application rounds is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/education/set-up-a-free-school" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/education/set-up-a-free-school</a>.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 22/06/2022 15:41:22 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4810 label Biography information for Mr Rob Roberts

1381821

registered interest
date	24/11/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new schools have opened since July 2019; and how many of those have been free schools.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	81077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2021 answer text <p>The government’s free schools programme has delivered hundreds of new schools and provided thousands of high-quality new school places across the country.</p><p>Since July 2019, a total of 392 new state-funded schools have opened (including sponsored and converted academies), of which 169 are new free schools. These include mainstream, special and alternative provision, and 16-19 free schools. These schools will create more than 86,000 places at capacity.</p><p>Information about all schools in England is publicly available at: <a href="https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk" target="_blank">https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk</a>.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 01/12/2021 13:05:56 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1270944

registered interest
date	14/12/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the wave 15 announcement from the free schools programme.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
tabling member printed	Jonathan Gullis
uin	129139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2020 answer text <p>The free schools programme was established to deliver choice, innovation and higher standards for parents. Free schools have delivered tens of thousands of high quality school places across the country. We will announce the outcome of wave 14 soon, to enable successful applications to begin work towards opening these much needed schools. Funding for further free school approvals will be considered at the next Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 22/12/2020 11:16:47 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4814 label Biography information for Jonathan Gullis

1149531

registered interest
date	15/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the schools approved in Wave (a) 9, (b) 10, (c) 11, (d) 12 and (e) 13 of the free schools programme are (i) under construction and (ii) open.
tabling member constituency	Ashton-under-Lyne
tabling member printed	Angela Rayner
uin	636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>Since 2010, the Government has funded thousands of good new school places across the country through the free schools programme. The programme aims to kick-start wider improvement, inject fresh approaches and draw in talent from a variety of backgrounds.</p><p>As at 1 October 2019, there are 507 open free schools, 48 university technical colleges and 24 studio schools, which will provide over 320,000 places when at capacity. The attached table contains the information requested.</p><p>The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can sometimes mean that it is necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation to meet the need for school places in the local area. As such, a free school can open whilst works are taking place on the permanent site.</p><p>Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed school, we have taken swift and decisive action to cancel the project. On occasion, a trust will decide to withdraw a project before the proposed school opens. The primary objective of the Department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for local pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 21/10/2019 16:37:33 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb attachment 1 file name 636_free_schools_applications.pdf title 636_table
tabling member	4356 label Biography information for Angela Rayner

1149810

registered interest
date	15/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools which were approved in wave 9 of the free schools programme are (1) under construction, and (2) open.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2019 answer text <p>Since 2010, the government has funded thousands of good new school places across the country through the free schools programme. The programme aims to kick-start wider improvement, inject fresh approaches and draw in talent from a variety of backgrounds.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 October 2019 there are 507 open free schools, 48 university technical colleges and 24 studio schools, which will provide over 320,000 places when at capacity.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table contains the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can sometimes mean that it is necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation to meet the need for school places in the local area. As such, a free school can open whilst works are taking place on the permanent site.</p><p> </p><p>Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed school, we have taken swift and decisive action to cancel the project. On occasion, a trust will decide to withdraw a project before the proposed school opens. The primary objective of the department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for local pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL30 HL31 HL32 HL33 question first answered 25/10/2019 11:45:28 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL102 HL30 HL31 HL32 HL33_table_free_school_application_waves_9_to_13.pdf title HL102_HL30_HL31_HL32_HL33_table
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1149737

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the schools approved in wave 10 of the free schools programme are (1) under construction and (2) open.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL30
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2019 answer text <p>Since 2010, the government has funded thousands of good new school places across the country through the free schools programme. The programme aims to kick-start wider improvement, inject fresh approaches and draw in talent from a variety of backgrounds.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 October 2019 there are 507 open free schools, 48 university technical colleges and 24 studio schools, which will provide over 320,000 places when at capacity.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table contains the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can sometimes mean that it is necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation to meet the need for school places in the local area. As such, a free school can open whilst works are taking place on the permanent site.</p><p> </p><p>Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed school, we have taken swift and decisive action to cancel the project. On occasion, a trust will decide to withdraw a project before the proposed school opens. The primary objective of the department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for local pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL102 HL31 HL32 HL33 question first answered 25/10/2019 11:45:28 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL102 HL30 HL31 HL32 HL33_table_free_school_application_waves_9_to_13.pdf title HL102_HL30_HL31_HL32_HL33_table
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

1149738

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free Schools
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the schools approved in wave 11 of the free schools programme are (1) under construction and (2) open.
tabling member printed	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
uin	HL31
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2019 answer text <p>Since 2010, the government has funded thousands of good new school places across the country through the free schools programme. The programme aims to kick-start wider improvement, inject fresh approaches and draw in talent from a variety of backgrounds.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 October 2019 there are 507 open free schools, 48 university technical colleges and 24 studio schools, which will provide over 320,000 places when at capacity.</p><p> </p><p>The attached table contains the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The length of time it takes to identify, acquire and adapt the right site can sometimes mean that it is necessary for a school to open in temporary accommodation to meet the need for school places in the local area. As such, a free school can open whilst works are taking place on the permanent site.</p><p> </p><p>Where we have had concerns over the long-term success and viability of a proposed school, we have taken swift and decisive action to cancel the project. On occasion, a trust will decide to withdraw a project before the proposed school opens. The primary objective of the department in all cases is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for local pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL102 HL30 HL32 HL33 question first answered 25/10/2019 11:45:28 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton attachment 1 file name HL102 HL30 HL31 HL32 HL33_table_free_school_application_waves_9_to_13.pdf title HL102_HL30_HL31_HL32_HL33_table
tabling member	2024 label Biography information for Lord Hunt of Kings Heath