The New Schools Network (NSN) is a United Kingdom-registered charity and former think tank which formerly supported groups setting up free schools within the English state education sector.
History
Early years
The New Schools Network was founded in 2009 by its first director Rachel Wolf, a former campaign adviser to Conservative mayor of London Boris Johnson and education adviser to Conservative shadow children's secretary Michael Gove. Wolf started the group after visiting New York City whilst working for Gove and observing the city's charter schools as well as groups such as the Knowledge Is Power Program and the New York City Charter School Center, who advise new schools in the city. In its early years, the network was a think tank for education and gave policy advice. It also offered guidance to people and groups who were establishing new schools, regardless of the character of these schools.
By March 2010, 350 groups had approached the network to find out how to establish a new school. They were planned to be involved in the Conservative Party's first wave of new free schools should it be elected in favour of the incumbent Labour government in May 2010. The Conservatives won the May election and the free schools programme was established. Michael Gove, who had become Secretary of State for Education, held a bid to determine who would be in receipt of a £500,000 government grant which would be used to advise him on the programme and help parents establish new free schools. The network was uncontested in its application and won the bid, though this led to allegations of political impartiality and an investigation . After the bid, the network became central to the programme and was given a say in all free school applications. It later gained responsibility for the programme's delivery and represented free schools.
On 21 June 2010, Gove announced that the network had received over 700 expressions of interest in establishing a free school for the programme's first wave. The first 24 free schools opened in September 2011. The network had worked with 22 of them. The network worked with 61 of the 79 groups applying to open a free school in September 2012. It had since continued to support around 30 prospective schools every year.
In November 2011, the network competed to maintain its government grant and supporting role in the free schools programme in another government bid where it yet again won. It was one of two applicants. Following the victory, it was in receipt of a maximum grant of £400,000 for the 2011 to 2012 financial year and another £650,000 for the 2012 to 2013 financial year. It could also choose to extend the grant to 2014. Another bid for the funding was held in that year, with the network winning again but this time for £3 million. The network's income would become largely dependent on government funding.
From 2013, the network delivered the Academy Ambassadors programme, a non-profit initiative which aimed to recruit board members for academy trusts. A quarter of the companies on the FTSE 100 Index were part of the programme in 2019. Examples include Lloyds and Rolls-Royce.
In 2013, then-current chief operating officer Natalie Evans assumed the role of Director of NSN on the departure of Rachel Wolf. She was succeeded by Nick Timothy in July 2015.
Directorship of Toby Young
Conservative journalist Toby Young was appointed Director of the NSN in October 2016, where he would fill the role from January 2017. His appointment was meant to boost the free schools programme following its shift away from local communities towards multi-academy trusts. Acknowledging his right-wing political views, Young promised to be politically neutral as the director. He had previously been involved with the network when he set up the West London Free School in Hammersmith.
An advocate of the free schools programme since its inception, Director Young called on the government to increase its goal of opening 500 free schools by 2020 to 750 free schools. He also sought to reduce the network's government funding by taking more money from businesses, organisations and donors instead. He welcomed the May government's support for the programme, but was wary with NSN founder Rachel Wolf of its planned creation of new grammar free schools.