The Coalition Government announced in May 2010 that groups of teachers, parents, charities, community and faith organisations can apply to the Department for Education to set up free schools.
Free schools are Government-funded, state schools, but outside local authority control, and enjoy a degree of independence. They are very similar to academies, sharing the same legal requirements and subject to the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions. Like academies, free schools have freedom to set their own pay and conditions for staff, deviate from the National Curriculum and change the length of their terms and school day.
Our specialist team offers practical, affordable legal support to free school proposers. We have worked with many successfully established free schools, including the first ever free school, two faith schools and the first free school to contract-out management functions to an outside provider.
We will be with you every step of the way during this complex and demanding process providing support on the key legal and commercial steps including:
- Setting up the Trust company and understanding your governance obligations
- Negotiating the Funding Agreement
- Securing a site for the school
- Running the statutory consultation process, plus a whole lot more.
