New free schools to open across England

Today 53 new free schools and one University Technical College will open their doors, creating up to 40,000 new school places across the country.

The new openers have been set up by multi-academy trusts, charities and community groups and often provide specialist education for pupils.

Among those opening this week are the Saracens High School, which will be supported by Saracens Rugby Club – a partnership between local schools and Middlesex University to boost pupils’ education through sport. Free schools are among the highest performing state-funded schools in the country and many are in disadvantaged areas, helping to improve education for every child, such as Tauheedul Islam Boys High School, Blackburn, The Reach Academy Feltham and Dixons Trinity Academy which all received top GCSE grades in 2017.

Today’s announcement is part of a government drive to ensure more families have access to a good school place, which will see the creation of one million places between 2010 and 2020 – the fastest increase for two generations.