Informal consultation: launch of a Free School Presumption Competition regarding a new primary school in the Gateford-Shireoaks Planning Area

Closed 27 Feb 2023

Opened 16 Jan 2023

Contact

Place.planning@notts.cc.gov.uk

Overview

This consultation is non-statutory and is an informal means of gathering local views on the proposal outlined below.

Context 

By law, all new schools in England must be opened as Free Schools, set up and run by Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). The process by which local authorities (LAs) establish a new Free School, and the Secretary of State appoints a MAT 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, informal consultation. The aims of this are twofold:

  1. to publicise the need for a new school among the local stakeholder community and potential sponsors
  2. feedback gathered through consultation will be valuable and contribute to formulate and finalise the LA’s specification for a new school before its publication.

Nottinghamshire County Council is therefore conducting a local, informal consultation prior to the initiation of a Free School Presumption. This consultation is in accordance with the DfE advice as published in ‘The free school presumption’, departmental advice for local authorities and new school proposers’, (p.8), DfE, November 2019.

This consultation will run for 6 weeks from 16 January until 27 February 2023 and Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) will welcome responses to the consultation during this period.

Why your views matter

We are seeking the opinion of local stakeholders, including residents, on a proposal to open a new primary school in the Gateford-Shireoaks Planning area.