The extent to which free schools might improve outcomes, particularly for those living in economically deprived areas, will be the focus of new research, conducted by NFER in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)*
New research to provide insights on the impact of free schools
Tuesday 3 September 2024
Since 2010, successive Conservative-led governments have facilitated the opening of ‘free schools’ in England as a means of driving innovation, providing greater choice and increasing educational performance. Free schools are new schools that operate outside of the control of local government and enjoy freedoms around curriculum, staffing and financial management.
The analysis, due to be published in spring 2025, will provide a rigorous and in-depth evaluation of the impact of free schools on pupil attainment, attendance and exclusion, including investigating the longer-term impacts of the free schools policy on participation in higher education.
It will also use linked Department for Education and Ministry of Justice data to estimate free schools’ impact on contact with the criminal justice system. This research will help fill the evidence gap as to whether the policy can help increase opportunities and reduce disparities for people and places across the UK.
Commenting on the new research, NFER Project Director, Dr Stephen Welbourne, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Manchester Metropolitan University on this project.
“Free schools were proposed by the previous government as a means of introducing greater innovation and choice to drive educational performance in economically disadvantaged places and, by, implication, improving economic and social outcomes within the community in those places. However, as yet there hasn’t been any robust evaluation of the impact of free schools and how they affect social mobility.
“The findings will be particularly timely for the new Labour government as it decides whether free schools should be a key education policy as it was for its predecessor.”
Dr William Cook, Reader in Evaluation and Policy Analysis at Manchester Metropolitan University, said:
“The introduction of free schools into the English education system has been one of the most major innovations of education policies in recent decades.
“By bringing together the expertise and knowledge of Manchester Met and NFER in evaluation and the schools sector this project will provide evidence that is likely to inform education policy not only in England, but also in education systems around the world.”
Notes to editors
*The free schools project is one of 17 being funded by UKRI aimed at ensuring everyone in the UK has a path to economic success and personal wellbeing, regardless of where they live.