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• Date requested: 7 November 2011
• Publish date: 18 May 2012
• Updated: 18 May 2012

Request

Please tell me how much each of the free schools that opened in autumn 2011 received from the Department for Education in additional funding (i.e. funding that was in addition to per-pupil funds).

Release

A number of free schools which opened have received start-up funding in addition to their per-pupil funding. Start-up funding is not usually paid to existing independent schools becoming free schools unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Start-up funding is not just provided to free schools, it is imperative for the success of any new state school. In 2011 local authorities provided start-up funding for primary schools at a level at least comparable with free schools in the same year, where funding ranged from 拢190,000 up to 拢492,000. The department has also provided funding for new secondary academies. For example: the King Solomon Academy (opened 2007), the Brent Academy (opened 2008), the Wren Academy (2008) and The City Academy, Hackney (opened 2009) all received between 拢634,000 and 拢1,374,820 of start-up funding during their first year of opening.聽

The funding is designed to enable schools to cover essential initial costs, such as buying books and equipment; and to meet the costs arising as the school builds up its pupil numbers over time - as they could not otherwise meet the full cost of a headteacher and other senior staff from the per pupil funding initially received. This funding is essential to meet the additional costs associated with starting a brand new school.

Levels of start up funding received by schools vary according to the specific circumstances of individual schools, which include a number of different factors such as the size of the school, the staffing structure and relationships with existing schools which may enable savings to be made through the sharing of services.聽

In determining the amount of start-up free schools receive we have sought to achieve best value for money and to reduce the overall costs of setting up a new school. Start-up funding given to free schools in 2011/12 demonstrates funding is at a level at least comparable with maintained schools and far less than has been given to new academies in previous years.

The start up funding allocated to each of the 24 open free schools for the academic year 2011/12 is shown in the table below: