Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated for the establishment of a Northern branch of the New Schools Network; what the timetable for the establishment of that branch of Network is; and what plans he has for where that branch of the Network will be located.

Edward Timpson

The New Schools Network (NSN) is an independent charity that aims to improve the quality of education in the state sector, particularly for the most deprived children. It works with free school groups from all regions of England.

In the Budget, NSN was allocated £200,000 grant funding for a new Northern centre to encourage more innovative free schools in the region. NSN has already allocated a member of staff, who is based in Manchester, to work specifically with groups in the North and further recruitment will begin shortly.

NSN has plans to operate a similar model in the Midlands.