Education written question – answered at on 19 October 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to concentrate (a) new free schools in the poorest towns and cities and (b) the catchment areas of new free schools.
Half of the 24 free schools which opened in September this year are located in the 30% most deprived communities, based on the indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) measure. For the 2012 application round, the Department received 281 applications, many from local groups wanting to improve educational standards in their area. All free school applications are assessed against the criteria published on our website as well as against other free school applications. As the Department's website also says, wider contextual factors, such as the level of deprivation in the community, are taken into account when considering which projects should proceed to the next stage. A list of successful projects for the 2012 application round is available on the website.
It is not for the Department to determine the admissions arrangements for individual free schools. Free schools are however, required to adopt arrangements that comply with the school admissions code.
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