Five more free school bids from region submitted to Ministers

THE DEPARTMENT for Education received five more bids to open free schools in Yorkshire from next year, it has emerged.

The names of each of the proposed free schools which were submitted in the latest round of applications has been published by the Government after a freedom of information act request.

It includes two proposals from the One-in-a-Million charity linked to Bradford City football club which opened a free school next to the Valley Parade ground last year after having its approval controversially pulled by the Department for Education (DfE) at the 11th hour a year earlier.

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The list of more than 100 applications includes another One in a Million alternative provision school and plans for a primary school, both in Bradford.

There are also proposals for a CAPA College in Leeds, the Make it Shine SEN Academy in the East Riding, and the Morthyng South Grove Academy, an alternative provision school in Rotherham.

Free schools have been a key policy of the coalition Government which has championed the creation of new state schools run with the same freedoms as academies.

The new information published on the latest free school plans includes the name of the school, the local education authority area and whether it is a plan for a faith school, a primary or secondary and whether its classed as a mainstream school or alternative provision. However it does not include any detail about the proposal or the applicant.

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There are currently almost 20 free schools open across Yorkshire. Bradford is at the forefront of the free schools movement with seven already open and several more planned.

The free schools in Bradford include Dixons Trinity, which became the first secondary free school to be rated as outstanding earlier this year. It also includes the Kings Science Academy which was one of the first 24 free schools to open nationally in 2011. The school became engulfed in a financial scandal last year over allegations of alleged fraud which are now being investigated by West Yorkshire Police.