Collection

Free school applications

Applicants proposing to open a free school along with their applications forms, impact assessments and pre-registration inspections notes.

Free schools: applicant information

Approved free school application forms

Letters to successful free school applicants

Special and alternative provision free schools: applications

Impact assessments of open free schools

Assessments of the effect that proposed schools would have on their local area, including how they would affect other schools.

Ofsted pre-registration inspections of free schools

Ofsted carries out pre-registration inspections under the Education and Skills Act 2008. The outcome of these inspections helps inform the Secretary of State’s decision whether to register a new free school as an independent school.

Updates to this page

Published 18 February 2016
Last updated 17 March 2023 + show all updates
  1. Added 'Alternative provision free schools applications'.

  2. Added 'Free schools: application information for wave 15'.

  3. Added 'Special free schools: local authority applications'.

  4. Added 'Free schools that opened in 2018: impact assessments'.

  5. Added Free schools: application information for wave 14, Approved free school application forms: wave 13, Letters to successful free school applicants: wave 13, Special and alternative provision free schools: wave 2 successful local authority bids and Special and alternative provision free schools: wave 2 letters to successful local authorities.

  6. Added Pre-registration advice notes 2018

  7. Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 13'.

  8. Added application forms and letters for waves 11 and 12. Added special free schools information, applications and letters.

  9. Added 'Letters to successful free school applicants' and 'Approved free school application forms' for waves 9 and 10 and impact assessments for free schools that opened in 2016 and 2017.

  10. Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 12'.

  11. Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 11'.

  12. First published.