Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage innovation when setting up new schools.

The free schools programme was established to deliver choice, innovation and higher standards for parents by injecting fresh approaches and drawing in talent and expertise from a wide variety of groups and backgrounds. The department has delivered hundreds of new schools and provided thousands of good school places across the country.

The free schools programme continues to encourage innovation, as well as building the capacity of some of the countries’ strongest trusts to raise education standards. In the most recent mainstream wave, the department approved an innovative partnership between Eton College and Star Academies to deliver free schools in Dudley, Oldham and Teesside for pupils aged 16 to 19. These schools will help increase the numbers of disadvantaged students progressing to top universities. The department also approved a new BRIT School North in Bradford, which will be the first of its kind in the region. This school will provide career pathways for creative industries in the North of England and is supported by industry leaders.

The department has also committed to delivering a 16-19 mathematics school in every region, with eleven in total. Seven maths schools are already open with the remaining four schools approved to open in the future. These small schools, partnered with the most selective mathematics universities, will prepare some of the most mathematically able students for university and help to address shortages of highly skilled graduates in sectors which depend on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

To open a free school, the provider must establish an academy trust, which is set up as an exempt charity. In the latest mainstream free school wave, the department invited all new providers, including charities, to apply to open a new school. Similarly, in the latest alternative provision free school wave, the department invited applications from partnerships, including charities, alongside academy trusts and local authorities.