Free schools are independent, state-funded schools with the same legal status as academies.

No. Free schools are run on a not-for-profit basis by a charitable Trust. The school will be run by the Headteacher and their leadership team and they will be answerable to a Local Governing Body.

The school is scheduled to open in September 2023 subject to the required statutory approvals.

The primary school building will be located in Lower Lodge Avenue in the Eden Park development, formerly known as the Gateway Development north of Rugby town centre.

No. Free schools have to follow the new Admissions Code in the same way as all state-funded schools. The school will be open for all to attend and our admissions policy will at all times be transparent and fair. We will be working closely with colleagues at Warwickshire County Council and the Department for Education throughout the admissions process.

In essence, an application to The Griffin Primary School is a risk-free choice for 2023 as applications are made in addition to the usual Local Authority process.

You can apply for a Reception place for 2023 here.

Admissions to the school are taking place where a basic need for places has been identified. When starting a new school, we believe that it is important to nurture the first year and establish the culture of the new school.

Discussions are in progress about The Griffin Primary running the nursery for 3-4 year olds which is attached to the school building from September 2023.

No. Funding for The Griffin Primary School will be equivalent to the funding available to other academies and maintained schools in the area, and it will not reduce the overall funding available for schools in Warwickshire. The total funding the school receives annually will depend on the number of pupils attending.

Yes. All free schools are subject to inspection in the same way as other academy category schools. The school will also be inspected by Ofsted before opening and will be subject to termly visits from the Department for Education during its first year.

The school will be run by a Board of Governors who will be accountable to the Members of the board of the MAT established by Lawrence Sheriff School. In addition, the school will be accountable to the Secretary of State for Education through the terms of its Funding Agreement. The school will, of course, be accountable day to day to parents/carers and the wider community.

Yes. Headteacher Designate Alison Hines will lead the school. Prospective pupils and their parents/carers will have the opportunity to meet Alison at pre-opening events.

No. Indeed we believe that the new school will bring benefits to LSS. For example, our secondary staff will be able to work closely with primary colleagues in the school to better understand the primary to secondary school transition. Our sixth form students will have opportunities to work with the primary school children in areas such as maths, building their experience. In return, the primary school will benefit from the specialist teachers and facilities at LSS.

In addition, the Lawrence Sheriff School Trust have ensured that the appropriate support and capacity are in place such that the running of Lawrence Sheriff School is not negatively impacted.

There is a Project Development Grant provided by the LA and additional funds from the DfE to support the legal work required in setting up The Griffin Primary School.  This means that the setting up The Griffin Primary School does not impact financially Lawrence Sheriff School.

In addition, the Trust is being structured to ensure that the funding from Rugby School continues to come to Lawrence Sheriff School and the funds will be ring-fenced to benefit LSS pupils only, not pupils in other schools.

Yes. We have hired a highly experienced Headteacher Designate for the school who, in turn, will hire high-quality, qualified staff to ensure a successful opening.

We are confident that everything is in place to ensure a successful opening in September. We will update all stakeholders on our progress, particularly as to the signing of the school’s Funding Agreement by the Secretary of State for Education, which is the legal document that will allow the school to open.

We are assured by the contractors that the school is ahead of schedule in terms of the building work and will be handed over to the Trust in good time to open.

The school will open with a Reception class of up to 30 children. Once this milestone has been achieved, we will then turn our attention to opening nursery provision on the site. The current plan is that both will open in September 23.

We have a range of ideas for after-school clubs. These will be decided in consultation with parents/carers to ensure our first intake of pupils have significant enrichment.

Lawrence Sheriff School is the Sponsor of The Griffin Primary School.

As Lawrence Sheriff School does, The Griffin Primary will play a full and active part in the local family of schools. This will include seeking to join cluster groups, knowledge sharing with other schools and offering joint CPD sessions. To support families who have older siblings in other local schools we will endeavor to align teacher training days and term dates with local schools.

The Statutory 10 Consultation Report (PDF) can be viewed here.