Today 53 new free schools and one University Technical
College will open their doors, creating up to 40,000 new
school places across the country.
The new openers have been set up by multi-academy trusts,
charities and community groups and often provide specialist
education for pupils.
Among those opening this week are the Saracens High School,
which will be supported by Saracens Rugby Club – a
partnership between local schools and Middlesex University
to boost pupils’ education through sport. Free schools are
among the highest performing state-funded schools in the
country and many are in disadvantaged areas, helping to
improve education for every child, such as Tauheedul Islam
Boys High School, Blackburn, The Reach Academy Feltham and
Dixons Trinity Academy which all received top GCSE grades
in 2017.
Today’s announcement is part of a government drive to
ensure more families have access to a good school place,
which will see the creation of one million places between
2010 and 2020 – the fastest increase for two generations.
Education Secretary said:
I want to create new, great schools where they are needed
most and give parents greater choice when looking at the
schools that are right for their children. For years,
innovative free schools have been leading the way on this
– from the specialist maths schools run by some of our
top universities to the special free schools creating
places for children who have additional learning needs.
The new schools opening their doors this term will build
on this record, bringing in the likes of Saracens Rugby
Club and Sky to provide pupils with excellent sports
activities and classes on cutting edge media technology.
Thanks to reforms like this and the hard work of our
teachers, we have 1.9 million more children in good or
outstanding schools than in 2010 – I look forward to
seeing these new schools flourish too.
Schools opening this week will range from primary schools
to sixth form colleges, with some tailored specifically to
provide technical education. The new openers include:
-
Saracens High School in Barnet – a mainstream secondary
school which will provide 1,130 places, including a 230
place sixth-form. This will be the first school opened
by a The Saracens Multi-Academy Trust, which includes
Saracens Sport Foundation and Middlesex University.
-
Bolder Academy in Hounslow – which is being set up by a
group of local headteachers and has teamed up with Sky
to deliver in-school and extra-curricular activities in
sport, media and technology. It will offer 1,150
places, of which 250 will be sixth-form.
-
John Taylor Free School in Staffordshire – will be the
first new 11-18 secondary school to open in
Staffordshire for a generation. The school will offer
1,440 places and form part of the successful John
Taylor Multi-Academy Trust which has consistently had
strong results with some of the highest performing
schools in the region.
-
Red Kite Special Academy in Northamptonshire – a
special provision school for 100 pupils with severe
learning difficulties and those on the autistic
spectrum. The school is part of the Kingsley Learning
Foundation Trust between the Kingsley School and the
Red Kite Free School.
-
North East Futures University Technical College in
Newcastle – will specialise in healthcare science and
digital technology. The University Technical College is
part of the Tyne Coast Academy Trust (TCAT) and has
been set up in partnership with the University of
Sunderland and businesses including Accenture, Ubisoft
and Newcastle-upon-Tyne NHS Trust.
Of those inspected by Ofsted, 85% of free schools are rated
good or outstanding, while 31% are rated outstanding. In
2017, two of the top 10 Progress 8 scores for state-funded
schools in England were achieved by free schools.
The new openers announced today take the total number of
these schools open to 520 since 2010 and means more than
120 in 152 local authorities now have at least one free
school, studio school or university technical college in
their area. The Department has committed to approving a
further 110 new schools by 2020.
The new schools open as 20 local authorities across the
country are set to receive a share of a £50 million funding
boost to support the creation of new free schools where
they are needed most. The Presumption Free School Grant
will help pay to build the new free schools and will create
around 15,000 places across the country. The Department
will work closely with the 20 local authorities selected
for the Presumption Free School Grant to support the
building of the new schools.
Mark Lehain, Interim Director of New Schools Network, said:
It’s fantastic to see another 53 free schools opening
their doors for the first time this September. Opening a
new school is, rightly, a challenging process and it’s
thanks to the hard work and dedication of these groups of
people that scores of families will benefit.
This cohort of free schools is particularly exciting; it
spans the breadth of the country, as well as all phases
and types, including four special free schools. It also
highlights the strength of the free school policy, which
allows schools to provide the education their local
community wants – such as Saracens High School, set-up by
the rugby club, Middlesex University and the Gold Star
Federation, or the Bolder Academy that has teamed up with
Sky to provide media and technology teaching.
The free school programme continues to be the most
successful and cost effective way of providing much
needed new school places. I wish all of those opening
this year the very best.
Andrew Griffith, Group Chief Operating Officer for Sky,
said:
As Bolder Academy will be literally right on our
doorstep, we can see exciting opportunities to be a good
neighbour. We have a huge array of skills and expertise
here on-site and I hope that we can support the school in
many ways, including Sky colleagues volunteering to help
out with in-school and after-school activities in areas
such as sport, media and technology.
Nigel Wray, Saracens Chairman, said:
What a challenge and a privilege to be able to open a
school, to try and make a real difference to young people
in a disadvantaged community.
The Saracens High School is, we believe, the first
mainstream secondary school ever to be set up by a
professional sports club. Our aim, as it is for our
players, is to help every young person to be the best
that they can possibly be.
Maro Itoje, Saracens Rugby Union player and England
International said:
It’s exciting as a player to see the Saracens High
School’s vision and ethos is built on the core values
that have helped us as a team to be successful over
recent seasons. I’m proud to be at a club that is
committed to providing young disadvantaged people in our
local community with an education.
Mike Donoghue, Head of Trust at John Taylor Free School,
said:
We are delighted to be sponsoring the delivery of John
Taylor Free School in Tatenhill, which will be the first
new build secondary school in Staffordshire for a
generation. As is the case with all schools in our Trust,
the school will welcome children of all abilities,
faiths, social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds and will
be a learning hub for the wider community.
John Taylor Free School will equip young people with the
knowledge, experiences, skills and attributes to enable
success beyond school and will further the innovative
heritage of John Taylor High School. John Taylor Free
School will share the ‘DNA’ that has helped make our
Trust’s schools successful: a focus on quality teaching,
the setting of high expectations for all, a belief in
collaboration and the added value that it brings to, and
an emphasis on the development - academic and personal -
of all children and adults who work with us. However, it
is a sibling, not a clone - having a character and
context that makes it individual, and valued for it.
John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust has worked closely and
harmoniously with the DfE, the ESFA, Staffordshire County
Council, contractors and other partners to deliver a
truly amazing new school which we are convinced, over
time, will become a leading presence in the sector across
the region and beyond. Today’s announcement follows the
news earlier this year that an additional £50 million
will be spent on creating new school places for children
with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), and
a further £630 million in basic need funding for 2021 to
help meet local demand for places.
