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 2016Last updated 17 March 2023 + show all updates
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Added 'Alternative provision free schools applications'.
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Added 'Free schools: application information for wave 15'.
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Added 'Special free schools: local authority applications'.
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Added 'Free schools that opened in 2018: impact assessments'.
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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.
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Added Pre-registration advice notes 2018
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Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 13'.
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Added application forms and letters for waves 11 and 12. Added special free schools information, applications and letters.
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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.
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Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 12'.
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Added 'Free schools: applicant information for wave 11'.
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First published.