Schools backed by Saracens Rugby Club and media giant Sky are among 53 new free schools opening today.
The news comes as the government revealed the identities of 20 local authorities that will be eligible for the new £50 million presumption free school grant to “support the creation of new free schools where they are needed most”.
The new schools include Saracens High School in Barnet, North London, the first school opened by the Saracens Multi-Academy Trust, which includes Saracens Sport Foundation and Middlesex University.
Nigel Wray, Saracens' chairman, said: “What a challenge and a privilege to be able to open a school, to try and make a real difference to young people in a disadvantaged community.
“The Saracens High School is, we believe, the first mainstream secondary school ever to be set up by a professional sports club.
"Our aim, as it is for our players, is to help every young person to be the best that they can possibly be.”
Meanwhile, the Bolder Academy in Hounslow is being set up by a group of local headteachers, and will work with Sky to provide in-school and extracurricular activities in sport, media and technology.
One university technical college is also opening its doors.
'Exciting' cohort of free schools
The North East Futures UTC in Newcastle will specialise in healthcare science and digital technology.
Mark Lehain, interim director of the New Schools Network, said: “This cohort of free schools is particularly exciting; it spans the breadth of the country, as well as all phases and types, including four special free schools.”
The presumption free school grant was first announced in May, when the DfE said that to be eligible, local councils would have to have “very significant expected basic need coinciding with low standards in the same planning area”.
The grant is designed to be in addition to local authorities’ basic need allocation, and the DfE said in May that they “can spend the additional funding on construction or land costs for the new presumption school”.
The full list of local authorities eligible for the presumption free school grant is as follows:
- Barnsley
- Birmingham
- Bolton
- Buckinghamshire
- Devon
- Enfield
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Northamptonshire
- Oldham
- Rochdale
- Salford
- Sandwell
- Southend on Sea
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Telford and Wrekin
- Thurrock
- Wolverhampton
The DfE said the presumption school must enter the pre-opening phase by January 2021 to be eligible to receive this grant. The deadline for the grant is 16 November 2018.
