Guidance

How to apply to set up a maths school for 16 to 19 year olds

Updated 16 July 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on 10 June 2022

The expression of interest to open a maths school has closed.

Applies to England

What is a maths school?

Maths schools are free schools for 16 to 19 year pupils who have a great aptitude for maths. As set out in the government’s Industrial Strategy, maths schools help to address shortages of highly skilled graduates in sectors that depend on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills.

The aim of maths schools is to prepare the most mathematically able pupils to succeed in mathematics-related disciplines at highly selective maths universities and pursue mathematically intensive careers.

Maths schools can also be centres of excellence in raising attainment, supporting and influencing the teaching of mathematics in their surrounding area, and are central to their associated universities’ widening participation commitments.

The 2 established maths schools, King’s College London Mathematics School and Exeter Mathematics School demonstrate that the model can be very successful. Both are rated outstanding by Ofsted and already among the highest performing school sixth forms in the country and were both within the top 1% of schools based on A level maths 2019 progress data. They spread the teaching expertise and best practice concentrated in their institutions across a number of local schools, which benefit much larger numbers of pupils.

Funding for maths schools

Maths schools will receive £350,000 each in additional funding every year, on top of their post-16 funding formula allocation. The funding is to support the maths school-specific aims of:

• providing a stretching education that is developed in collaboration with leading mathematics universities, with a greater focus on wider mathematical problem solving, so that young people are better able to manage the move to degree-level mathematics
• bringing together top-performing mathematics pupils into a small school environment fostering a close-knit, nurturing learning community
• providing learning and tackling disadvantage or under-representation through delivering significant outreach that could benefit the rest of the system and influence mathematics teaching both pre and post 16, to complement the work of maths hubs and universities’ widening participation commitments

A maths hub is a network for the leadership of mathematics improvement work across a region. It is led by one school or college but draws together contributions from a range of other schools, higher education institutions and other bodies or individuals with mathematics education expertise.

How to open a new maths school

Once your universities or partner organisations have agreed that they are interested in opening a maths school, you will need to follow this application process.

1. Check eligibility.

2. Find out more before expressing an interest.

3. Discussion with the Department for Education (DfE) (optional at this stage).

4. Submit a maths school expression of interest.

5. Meet with DfE.

6. Develop and submit a business case.

7. Secretary of State decision on whether proposal enters the pre-opening phase.

At any stage partners or the university can decide to support the school system in a different way and withdraw.

Eligibility

We would like to work with the most selective mathematics universities where the actual average UCAS tariff for full-time first-degree entrants to mathematics is at least 136 points (broadly equivalent to AAB) on the new tariff. However, in cases where the actual tariff falls below this, we will consider the other strengths of the university and proposal. Applicants who are under the tariff should contact us to discuss it further.

Individual colleges, schools, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) interested in working with a university to open a maths school can express an interest if they meet the quality criteria set out in annex A.

Find out more before expressing an interest

Before submitting an expression of interest form, you may want to contact us to find out more about what is involved.

The expression of interest requires the university or partner organisation to confirm it meets the quality criteria set out in annex A and asks them to submit a maximum of 2 paragraphs that:

• explain your motivation for opening a maths school
• provide the names of the individuals in your organisation(s) who would be involved in developing a proposal, alongside setting out their skills, experience and proposed time commitments for doing so

Submit a maths school expression of interest

Once you have all of the information you require your university or partner organisation should submit a maths school expression of interest form.

Meet with DfE

After submitting an expression of interest, and securing a university partner, we’ll invite you to discuss your vision for the maths school and your capacity and capability to deliver it.

At the meeting, we’ll clarify our expectations for developing a business case and will explain the next stage in the process. Following this discussion, you may decide that opening a maths school is not for you and decide not to proceed.

Develop and submit a business case

If you decide to proceed following your initial meeting with us, you’ll need to develop a business case. We anticipate that it will take up to 6 months to develop a business case.

There will be regular, iterative discussions and meetings as the business case develops between us and the applicant. This is so we can make sure that the business case is making sufficient progress in the 6-month timeframe.

There will be no formal interview stage.

At any time during the iterative development of the business case, the university or partner organisation may decide to support the school system in a different way and withdraw.

The business case must meet the maths school-specific criteria set out in annex A and you should set out how you plan to meet each criterion.

We will offer advice and support on expectations and highlight good practice.

As part of this process, you must also meet the requirements for business cases which includes establishing an academy trust and be aware of other matters which are set out in annex B.

Outreach

The main aim of maths schools is to prepare more of our most mathematically able pupils to succeed in mathematics related disciplines at top universities and pursue mathematically intensive careers. This aim is to be supported by maths schools working with both the pupils in the maths school and pupils and teachers in other schools and colleges to improve mathematics participation, teaching and attainment across the region.

Significant outreach work, over and above what you would normally expect of a school sixth form, should complement the work of maths hubs and should be integral to universities’ widening participation commitments.

As part of the business case, you’ll need to set out your plans for outreach as per the specific business case criterion. You can determine what outreach would have the most impact given local circumstances but we would expect to see plans for outreach activity in the following areas as a minimum:

• run outreach programme activities (complementing the work of maths hubs) for pupils in surrounding schools and colleges, which prioritises support for disadvantaged pupils and girls specifically, through direct teaching, associated tutoring and structured activities, and individual feedback
• provide continuous professional development for teachers of mathematics in partner and feeder schools
• ignite the interest of potential pupils in the mathematics curriculum that will be offered by the school and prepare pupils for the study of advanced mathematics

Decision

The Secretary of State for Education will only make a decision on whether a maths school can proceed into the pre-opening phase when:

• a final business case has been developed
• the requirements in annex B have been met
• we are satisfied with the business case

If the business case is agreed, you will be given approval to progress your project towards opening, rather than being given the approval to open a new maths school.

The decision is final and there is no appeals process.

Approval of your business case does not mean approval of every detail, such as your preferred principal designate or a proposed site. Approval may be conditional on amending certain aspects and is also conditional on the capital costs representing good value for money.

Pre-opening phase

The pre-opening phase is the time after a maths school business case has been approved and before a maths school opens, during which time the detailed plans for the school will need to be developed and delivered. We’ll provide support throughout this process.

When progressing to the pre-opening phase, maths schools will need to adhere to the criteria set out and approved in their business case and these will be reiterated in the Secretary of State’s approval letter. Further conditions may also be set during the pre-opening phase to help ensure the school is successful. These conditions often relate to a specific risk to be addressed for the project to proceed successfully.

Failure to meet any of these conditions means it unlikely that the Secretary of State will be able to enter into a funding agreement with you. The funding agreement is a legally binding contract between the Secretary of State and the academy trust which defines the terms and conditions on which the maths school is funded, and what is expected by both the trust and DfE.

A key milestone in the pre-opening phase will be to agree your provisional opening date. This will be agreed between us, and the university and its partners. A number of factors will affect a school’s opening date, including the availability of a suitable and affordable permanent site for the school. We will agree the provisional opening date only after a permanent site is confirmed, and once we have assessed the time needed to obtain planning permission and completing necessary building works or refurbishment.

It is our role to work with applicants and LocatED (a government-owned property company, responsible for buying and developing sites in England) to conduct a site search and provide applicants with an appropriate site. If applicants have any information or local knowledge about sites, this can be shared but ultimately it is our responsibility to find and secure a site. For the 2 open maths schools, being near to the university and close to public transport (given the regional nature of the schools) was important. If there’s a possibility of the maths school being located on the university campus and that option offers good value for money, this is something we would look to support.

The final decision to open a maths school depends on the Secretary of State for Education entering into a legal contract, the funding agreement, with the academy trust. The Secretary of State for Education will sign a funding agreement only if he is satisfied that the maths school will be ready to deliver a good standard of education and will be viable from its first day of operation.

Where a project fails to make sufficient progress in pre-opening, a funding agreement cannot be signed and the opening of the school may be delayed or cancelled.

Contact us

If you want to find out more about the maths school application process and requirements, contact us by email at maths.schools@education.gov.uk.

Annex A: Criteria for maths schools

Registration of interest: quality criteria

We welcome registrations of interest to establish maths schools from universities and (where relevant) partner organisations that meet the following quality criteria.

Universities

Must have an actual average UCAS tariff for full-time first degree entrants to mathematical science subjects of at least 136 points (on the current tariff), which is broadly equivalent to AAB.

In exceptional cases, where the actual tariff falls below 136, agreement from DfE that the strengths of the university outweigh this is needed.

Mainstream schools

The existing school has a good or outstanding judgement from Ofsted.

Achievement in your school is above local and national averages (looking at headline accountability measures of attainment and progress) and should generally be on a consistent or upward trajectory since the last Ofsted inspection.

FE colleges or sixth form colleges

FE college or sixth form has a good or outstanding judgement from Ofsted.

Achievement is above local and national averages (looking at headline accountability measures of attainment and progress) and should generally be on a consistent or upward trajectory since the last Ofsted inspection.

Multi academy trusts (MATs)

Where there is an existing MAT, we expect it to have a strong track record which means:

• it has shown effective governance
• is financially sustainable
• is operating efficiently
• has a strong educational track record

We will look at public information and data we already hold about the trust to evaluate this.

Business case criteria

The business case should set out the key features and ethos of the school as well as its aims including aspirations for the achievement of its pupils. It needs to cover how the proposed maths school would meet the following criteria.

Strong university engagement

The business case must demonstrate long term commitment to the maths school over and above involvement in its governance.

Applicants must submit a letter of support for the maths school signed by the vice chancellor of the university which commits to personally entering into a memorandum of understanding with the academy trust setting out the university’s commitment in terms of its day to day involvement in running the school.

Prior to signing the funding agreement for the maths school, the university will need to sign a memorandum of understanding which should cover some or all of the following:

• providing curriculum support both through the development of existing curriculum models and through new stretching mathematics project work or master classes to ensure the school remains at the forefront of current thinking
• providing the school (and its pupils) access to resources such as lecturers, PhD students (in a mentoring capacity) and facilities
• using its expertise in, and funding for, widening participation to support and evaluate the impact of the school’s outreach work
• providing careers advice on access to HE and alternative options
• providing links to networks of business and industry providers

Governance

The business case must provide initial governance plans which demonstrate understanding and experience of strong governance.

Governance plans must reassure us that the university will be committed to and accountable for the school in the long term with clear links into the university’s own governance arrangements at a senior level.

Our strong preference is for the university to be a corporate member of the trust. However, experience has shown us that this does not necessarily translate into ongoing commitment in every case, so applicants will need to convince us that their proposed governance arrangements will deliver that.

Qualifications, curriculum and stretch

The business case should set out:

• the curriculum the school will follow (including the proportion of time spent teaching each subject)
• qualifications which will be offered
• the approach to teaching and learning
• how the approach will help develop mathematical thinking
• the proposed staffing structure

Pupils at maths schools must study mathematics, further mathematics and, for schools approved from 2021 onwards, physics A level (compulsory). Beyond excellence in delivering the subjects offered, we expect the business case to demonstrate how pupils will be provided with stretching undergraduate-level work (both through extended projects and enrichment) in preparation for them to excel in mathematics and related degrees at university.

Improving social mobility, particularly through wider outreach and partnership working

A strong business case will be underpinned by a demonstration of knowledge of the local area, including where there is poor provision or areas of deprivation. This should be reflected in plans for how the maths school will address its pupils’ needs and in outreach plans which demonstrate how the school will:

• work with its local community and existing schools in the area
• attract pupils, especially those from disadvantaged or under-represented groups
• support increased attainment and participation in maths more generally in the local area

A key aspect of the maths school model is the outreach work they do with schools in their region. This must include your plans to work with your local authority and make reference to any previous engagements you have had with your community. The business case should set out how outreach activity with local schools will complement the work of regional maths hubs to improve mathematics teaching and outcomes in their region. In particular, we want to understand how you will identify and work with promising mathematics pupils in all key stages but with a particular focus on key stages 3 and 4 so that they excel in mathematics and mathematics-related GCSEs, have aspirations to study it further and develop a passion for the subject.

The business case must also set out how the school will support disadvantaged pupils and girls specifically, including through (but not limited to) outreach work with nearby schools to close the attainment gap in mathematics between disadvantaged children and everyone else at all key stages but with a particular focus on key stages 3 and 4.

Capacity and capability including people with the skills, resources and commitment to set up a maths school

This should include at least one person with at least 3 years’ recent experience of each of the following:

• organisational leadership
• setting up new projects and successfully delivering through partnership working
• being a headteacher at secondary or post-16 level (good or better at last Ofsted, performance scores above national and local averages)
• secondary school or post-16 finance expertise to develop financial plans
• school or FE governance expertise

Admissions policy and plans for identifying and selecting pupils

The business case should be clear on the proposed admission criteria and mindful that the clear aim is to:

• attract the most mathematically able pupils with the potential to thrive in a maths school environment
• address social mobility through supporting more disadvantaged pupils and girls into the school

Information on pupil build up and capacity when full should be provided. Applicants should set out how they will:

• recruit pupils
• identify where pupils will come from (demonstrating an understanding of the area and regional market given their chosen admissions criteria)
• market their school to ensure places are full
• articulate what the university’s specific role will be

Annex B: Before you submit a business case

Before you submit your business case to open a maths school you will need to:

• establish an academy trust as a charitable company limited by guarantee
• have regard to your public equality duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and develop good relations between communities

We will look for evidence that you have considered these responsibilities in your business case.

More information on each of these requirements and other matters you need to be aware of prior to submitting a business case is set out in this section. There is information about how we use your data in annex C.

Establish an academy trust

Each free school is run by an academy trust formed specifically to establish and run one or more schools. This is a requirement under the Academies Act 2010.

The academy trust will have responsibility for the maths school and will submit the business case.

Academy trusts are independent charitable companies limited by guarantee, with which the Secretary of State has decided to enter into a funding agreement.

If you are intending to submit a business case you will need to establish an academy trust using the model articles of association. Information on how to set up a company is available from Companies House.

If you are a proposer who already runs existing local authority maintained schools, we expect your existing maintained schools to convert to academy status, and the proposer group to form a MAT that will incorporate both the new maths school and any existing schools. You do not need to convert to academy status before submitting your business case, but we expect your case to set out your plans for how you will do this if your business case is approved.

Setting up an academy trust and ensuring you understand the need for strong governance and accountability is essential. For more information about governance, accountability and the role of members and trustees of an academy trust, see the:

• governance handbook and competency framework
• Academies Financial Handbook

One of the most important tests of a trust’s capability is how well it plans for and manages conflicts of interest. Before you form your trust and recruit your board of trustees, you must consider your plans for contracting work (pre-and post-opening) to minimise the risks of a conflict, this is because conflicts are most likely to arise when a trust is considering awarding a contract to an individual or organisation in which one of its members or trustees has an interest. Conflicts of interest may also arise if family or other personal relationships between the individuals running an academy trust make it hard to hold an individual to account. It is important to note that even the perception of a conflict can create negative publicity and could affect your maths school’s reputation and ability to recruit pupils.

Guidance on procurement and buying for schools is available. The Academies Financial Handbook also includes guidance on conflicts of interest and appropriate procurement. The protocols for members and trustees on procurement and conflicts of interest are set out in articles 6, 97 and 98 of the model articles.

Public Sector Equality Duty

All free schools are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty, which forms part of the Equality Act 2010. This duty requires your trustees, both in planning and running your school, to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and develop good relations between communities.

We will look for evidence that you have considered these responsibilities in your business case. You should consult the guidance for schools on the Equality Act.

Other considerations

Before submitting your business case you will also need to be aware of the following.

Project development funding

Trusts who move into the pre-opening phase will receive a project development grant to cover essential non-capital costs up to the point at which the school opens. It excludes site-related costs, which will be paid by DfE.

Competitive tenders

You may appoint a third party to support you in developing your application through an open and competitive tender process. However, you must not enter into any contracts in the expectation of public funds. If you have been assisted in writing your business case by any individuals or organisations that are not part of your trust, you should explain how you will secure further support during the pre-opening phase if you are approved.

Admissions

Maths schools must have admissions arrangements and criteria that are fair, objective and transparent. Maths schools are able to select pupils based on GCSE grades and other criteria because they are 16 to 19 academies and as such neither the School Admissions Code nor the School Admission Appeal Code are relevant.

Performance and accountability

All schools, including maths schools, are held to account against the same performance measures. Maths schools must collect performance data, publish results and be subject to Ofsted inspection under the education inspection framework.

Pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND)

Like all mainstream schools, maths schools admit children with special educational needs or disability, including those with education health and care (EHC) plans.

Maths schools must have regard to the SEND code of practice including using their best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEN gets the support they need. This means doing everything they can to meet children and young people’s SEN.

Maths schools must also ensure there is a named person in the school with oversight of SEN provision to ensure co-ordination of support, similar to the role of a special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO).

All maths schools must admit a child where the school is named in a child’s statement or EHC plan and all schools must comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Suitability of applicants, due diligence checks and data protection

The Secretary of State for Education permits that only suitable persons may establish publicly funded maths schools.

The seven principles of public life set out the standards of behaviour expected of public office holders, including those who work in education. The principles are:

• selflessness
• integrity
• objectivity
• accountability
• openness
• honesty
• leadership

We will undertake due diligence checks on proposers prior to approving a business case. There is more information about how we will use your data in annex C.

The Secretary of State will not approve business cases put forward by organisations that advocate violence, extremism, or other illegal activities, and may not approve business cases where the previous conduct of individuals associated with the trust does not comply with the seven principles of public life.

We reserve the right to request a suitability and declarations form from any proposer if we deem it necessary. Failure to submit this for all members and trustees and the principal designate (when appointed) is likely to delay the progress of your maths school proposal.

Provision of accommodation

In exceptional cases, it may be possible for a maths school to offer accommodation where it is essential for the long-term viability of the school.

Integration and community cohesion

As with all new free schools, we expect maths schools to consider how they can support integration and community cohesion. A maths school should:

• reflect the ethnic, religious and socioeconomic diversity of the wider local community in its outreach and recruitment
• build opportunities for pupils to interact and build positive relationships with those from different backgrounds, both within the school and the wider local community
• equip pupils with the skills, values and knowledge to become active citizens in wider society and play a positive role in shaping cohesive and integrated communities

Annex C: How we use your data

Personal data is collected on your expression of interest form, your business case and suitability and declarations form. This is so we can consider your proposal to establish a maths school.

Who is the data controller

The Department for Education is the ‘data controller’ for personal information supplied by universities or partner organisations in their expressions of interest, business cases and suitability and declarations form. We are responsible for ensuring that this information is processed in accordance with all legal requirements.

Any third parties processing personal information on behalf of the Department for Education will be acting as its ‘data processors’.

The personal data we will be using

The categories of your personal data that we will be using for this project are:

• names
• date of birth
• current and previous positions and job titles
• companies and organisations
• contact details (work postal address, email address and phone number)

We may also process special category data if declared under section 5 of the suitability and declarations form or when undertaking due diligence checks on applicants. This may include information relating to:

• character declarations, including details of:
  • unspent convictions
  • motoring offences
  • police cautions
  • insolvency
  • bankruptcy
• health declarations
• any orders made against you in relation to working with vulnerable individuals
• addresses for the last 5 years
• passport details
• driving licence details

Why our use of your personal data is lawful

In order for our use of your personal data to be lawful, we need to meet one (or more) conditions in the data protection legislation. For the purpose of this project, the relevant conditions we are meeting are Article 6 (1)(e) of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Article 9 (2)(g) GDPR in that our processing of personal and special category data is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of our functions as a government department.

Publication

We are committed to being as transparent as possible. As such, if your business case is approved, we will publish the approved case on GOV.UK. The following information will be redacted from the application and will not be visible to the public:

• private addresses
• private email addresses
• private telephone numbers
• commercially sensitive information
• specific site locations
• CVs

All other information, including the names of individuals and organisations mentioned in the business case, will be published.

You should notify any individuals or organisations that you have named in your expression of interest or business case that their information will be processed by us and that if approved the business case will be published on GOV.UK.

Who we will make your personal data available to

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include contracted partners (who we have employed to process your personal data on our behalf) or other organisations (with whom we need to share your personal data for specific purposes).

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this sharing complies with data protection legislation. For the purpose of this project education experts (previously education advisers) and independent panel members will be viewing your personal data as part of the decision-making process. We will share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of conducting checks on your suitability to run a free school, where this is allowed by law for the purpose of enabling these organisations to carry out their functions.

How long we will keep your personal data

We will keep your personal data only for as long as we need it for the purpose(s) of this piece of work, after which point it will be securely destroyed. We estimate that we will keep your personal data for no longer than 10 years.

Under data protection legislation, and in compliance with the relevant data processing conditions, we can lawfully keep personal data processed purely for research and statistical purposes indefinitely.

Your data protection rights

Under certain circumstances, you have the right to:

• ask us for access to information about you that we hold
• have your personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• request the deletion or removal of personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing
• restrict our processing of your personal data (such as permitting its storage but no further processing)
• object to direct marketing (including profiling) and processing for the purposes of scientific or historical research and statistics
• not be subject to decisions based purely on automated processing where it produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you

You have the right to raise any concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Withdrawal of consent and the right to lodge a complaint

Where we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, let us know by contacting us using ‘maths schools’ as the reference. If you wish to contact DfE’s Data Protection Officer (DPO), indicate in the reference that your enquiry is ‘for the attention of the DPO’.

Alternatively, you have the right to raise any concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).