Consultation regarding a new primary school, East Leake Planning Area

Closes 29 Apr 2025

Opened 18 Mar 2025

Overview

By law, all new schools in England must be opened as Free Schools, set up and run by Multi-Academy Trusts. The process by which local authorities establish a new Free School, and the Secretary of State appoints a Multi-Academy Trust to run it, is known as the Free School Presumption.

Before embarking on the launch of a Free School Presumption competition, local authorities are encouraged by the Department for Education to conduct local consultation. The aims of this are twofold:

  • to publicise the need for a new school among the local stakeholder community and potential sponsors.
  • feedback gathered through consultation will be valuable and contribute to formulating and finalising the Local Authority’s specification for a new school before its publication.

Nottinghamshire County Council is therefore conducting a local consultation prior to the initiation of a Free School Presumption. This consultation is in accordance with the Department for Education advice as published in ‘Establishing a new academy: the free school presumption route, (p.8), DfE, May 2024. See:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/844346/Free_school_presumption_051119.pdf

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