Expression of Interest – Application Criteria
New 900 place secondary free school – Site atPaxman Avenue, Colchester
- Your organisation
Please describe your organisation, any experience it has of sponsoring / running schools or academies and provide full contact details. Please include details of your current leadership/governance structures.
If you are a new proposer please confirm that you have applied to/received confirmation from the DfE to become an academy sponsor and, if confirmation has been received,the date this was approved by the DfE.
- Outline of the school
Confirm that the school will provide 900 mainstream secondary school places, (6fe) for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16.
If the bid proposes any changes from this specification please detail the changes and the rationale for them.
- Education vision and education plan
Provide your education vision and the educational ethos for the new free school, with details of the proposed curriculum and the approach to teaching and learning, including in particular the approach to teaching and learning for pupils with special educational needs and additional needs. How will these combine toachieve high standards, performance and outcomes for all children and add very high quality places to the school system? How will the free school be distinctive in its vision and ethos?
Set out your aspirations for the achievement of individual pupils and the school as a whole and your measures of success.
Set out details of the experience that pupils will have at the new school and how you will evaluate the achievement and performance of all pupils.
How will you ensure that the curriculum is broad, balanced and engaging for all?
- Effect on standards and contribution to school improvement
How will the free school help to raise the overall standard of education in the local area and contribute to school improvement? Describe your track record in improving pupil progress, particularly in areas with a similar context and how this has been measured. How will the free school support the transition of young people into secondary education?
Set out your strategy for ensuring that the needs of pupils with differing abilities are met, especially those with special educational needs and additional needs.
Outline the strategies that will be used to overcome barriers to learning and achievement such as children with English as their second or additional language.
Provide details of any proposed use of any freedoms and flexibilities over the curriculum, budget and staff to help improve the quality of the education and reduce the attainment gap.
Describe your approach to behaviour management, pupil well-being and attendance and how they link to your education vision and outcomes.
- Governance and accountability
Set out the proposed governance structure for the new school and the role of the sponsor body in this structure.
How will you deliver accountability and ensure your vision and ethos for the school and outcome aspirations for the children are delivered and achieved?
What level of intervention do you propose to have in respect of the school?
- Parental demand for a school with a religious character
If the free school will have a religious character, explain the proposed educational philosophy and evidence of demand in the area for education in accordance with the tenets of the religion.
Outline how the school will attract pupils from other faiths and none and how it will meet the needs of pupils of other faiths and none.
Explain and provide evidence to demonstrate how a school with a religious character, funded under a Basic Need Programme will address the need for places in this area from 2019 onwards.
- Community Cohesion
How will the school contribute to and promote community cohesion and good community relations?
Demonstrate a good understanding of the local community and detail your plan for community engagement.
Describe the plans you have for working in partnership with other schools and educational establishments
- Admission arrangements
Provide an indication of the proposed admission arrangements and over-subscription criteria for the free schoolwhich must meet the requirements of the School Admission Code. The school is intended primarily to cater for the Shrub End area of Colchester. Provide an indication of how the proposed admission arrangements and over-subscription criteria for the free school meet this intention.
If the free school is proposed to have a religious character, show the extent to which priority for places is proposed to be given to children of the school’s religion or religious denomination and the extent, if any, to which priority is to be given to children of other religious denominations or to children having no religious denomination.
- Capability to deliver
Provide evidence of your ability to successfully manage schools and of your ability and experience to run the new secondary school.
Provide evidence of your successful ability to financially manage schools and evidence of your financial expertise.
Set out your financial plan for the school, demonstrating how you will secure best value for money and allowances for unforeseen contingencies.
Confirm how any shortfall in capital funding would be met for specific accommodation requirements to deliver the educational ethos and vision, over and above the normal model accommodation schedule to be provided from the EFA funding.
- Staffing the school and recruiting the governing body
Provide evidence of how staff would be recruited to the school as the number of children at the school builds and give details of the overall proposed staffing structure.
Provide details of how the recruitment of governors to the school would be managed and how you would ensure local representation.
- Extended services
Set out what extended services you would aim to provide to parents, pupils and the local community and how you might work with other local providers to broaden that offer.
How do you propose to ensure that you make the school attractive to pupils from different backgrounds and with different abilities, in particular pupils from deprived or disadvantaged families?
- Managing the opening of the new school
Provide details of how you will work with the Local Authority and other agencies to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and systems (including ICT, HR etc) are in place for the opening of the new school to ensure the project is delivered on time.
- Other
Is there anything further that you would wish to add in support of your expression of interest?
Declaration
I declare that the details provided in this application are correct at the time of submission.
Applicant’s signature, name of applicant and position in organisation
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Organisation
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Applicant’s contact details
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Date
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