New Schools Network
New Schools Network is a UK education charity founded in 2009 that supports free schools and academies in England through policy advocacy, grant-making (Innovation Pilot Programme, Innovation Fund), research publications, and governance placement, serving 766 free schools and 300,000+ pupils annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What New Schools Network does
New Schools Network (NSN) is a UK national education charity founded in 2009, headquartered in England, that supports the creation, operation, and development of free schools and academies. NSN works with school founders, teachers, multi-academy trusts, policymakers, and social entrepreneurs to advocate for and enable the free schools programme, which permits government-funded schools to operate independently of local authorities with autonomy over curriculum, staff pay, and school operations. Since inception, NSN has been associated with the opening of 766 free schools across England educating 300,000+ pupils annually, and previously delivered the Department for Education's Academy Ambassador Programme from 2013-2022, placing over 2,000 non-executive directors and trustees onto academy trust boards.
NSN's service portfolio centres on policy advocacy, research, and grant-making rather than technology products. Its core programmes include the Innovation Pilot Programme (testing evidence-informed approaches to attendance and parental engagement) and the Innovation Fund (small grants to free schools and academy trusts for innovation projects). The organization publishes research including the 'What Makes a Good Free School' framework (co-produced with the Innovation Unit) and convenes debates, roundtables, and panel events connecting school leaders, researchers, and policymakers. Recent activity includes active campaigning against the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which NSN argues would erode academy freedoms.
The revenue model is charitable: NSN operates on donations from individuals (accepted via Wonderful.org and direct channels) and larger funder/sponsor support earmarked for specific projects and campaigns. The organization has no equity investors, no parent company, and no commercial product line; its 11-50 staff are governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by David Ross (co-founder of Carphone Warehouse) with Director Meg Powell-Chandler leading the executive team. Geographic scope is exclusively England.
New Schools Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Schools Network
- Legal name
- New Schools Network
- Website
- https://newschoolsnetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- New Schools Network is a UK education charity founded in 2009 that supports free schools and academies in England through policy advocacy, grant-making (Innovation Pilot Programme, Innovation Fund), research publications, and governance placement, serving 766 free schools and 300,000+ pupils annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Schools Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Advocacy and Policy
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
Keywords
Where New Schools Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
New Schools Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and charitable contributions: As an independent registered charity, NSN operates on donations from supporters who believe in the transformative power of education. Donations help support cutting-edge policy development and campaigns for school freedom.
- Larger funder and sponsor support: NSN depends on larger funders and sponsors for specific projects and campaigns, including their Innovation Pilot Programme and events.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
New Schools Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Schools Network is a UK national education charity that supports free schools and academies in England. It delivers grant-making programmes (Innovation Pilot Programme and Innovation Fund) to fund evidence-informed approaches in schools, conducts research and policy publications advocating for academy freedoms, runs advocacy campaigns around education legislation, and convenes events connecting school leaders, policymakers, and researchers.
Product overview
New Schools Network is a national education charity that does not offer a unified technology product but rather provides a portfolio of programmes and services supporting the free schools movement in England. Its core offerings include the Innovation Pilot Programme and Innovation Fund, which provide grants to free schools and academies for testing evidence-informed approaches to improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. The organisation also delivers research publications (such as the 'What Makes a Good Free School' framework identifying 10 principles), advocacy campaigns (including opposition to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill), and events programming convening education leaders and policymakers. A legacy programme, the Academy Ambassador Programme (2013-2022), successfully matched over 2,000 governance volunteers to academy trust boards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Innovation Pilot Programme NSN's flagship funding programme that supports free schools and academies to test innovative, evidence-informed approaches to raising standards and addressing persistent barriers faced by disadvantaged pupils, with a current focus on attendance and parental engagement.
- Innovation Fund Small grants programme providing funding to free schools and academy trusts to support innovation projects in schools, launched as part of NSN's transition to becoming a grant-making enterprise.
- Academy Ambassador Programme Programme delivered by NSN for the Department for Education between 2013 and 2022 that matched over 2,000 non-executive directors, trustees, and members to academy trust boards, bringing expertise from business, professions, and education to support governance.
- Events and Roundtables Programme of panel events, debates, and roundtables convening school leaders, policymakers, and researchers to shape debate about the future of the education system.
Quantifiable outcome
- 766 free schools opened across England
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use New Schools Network
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Schools Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
New Schools Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Innovation UnitcoreNSN partnered with the Innovation Unit, a social enterprise that grows and scales innovations to address persistent inequalities, to research what makes a good free school. They spoke to founders, school leaders, teachers and students from nine high-impact free schools to identify shared principles of success.
- Department for EducationcoreNSN acted as an interface between those starting free schools and the government, helping build capacity for change in communities and helping Ministers and officials improve how the free schools policy was delivered. Between 2013-2022, NSN delivered the DfE's Academy Ambassadors programme.
- Wonderful.orgminorNSN accepts donations through the Wonderful.org platform, a charity donation service.
- National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)coreNFER conducted rigorous research (funded by UK Research and Innovation in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University) showing that secondary free schools deliver higher attainment, lower absence rates, and better A-level outcomes. NSN cites this research to advocate for free schools.
- David Ross Education TrustcoreDavid Ross Education Trust, established by NSN Chair David Ross, sponsors 34 academies in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and the Humber Region. Several NSN team members are trustees or involved with this trust.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
New Schools Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ark (Absolute Return for Kids): UK education charity operating a network of academies and programmes. Comparable as a UK education nonprofit working at the intersection of school sponsorship, advocacy for school autonomy, and support for disadvantaged pupils.
- Education Policy Institute: Independent UK education research and advocacy organization producing evidence-based policy analysis. Directly comparable to NSN's research and policy engagement function and similar focus on free school and academy performance evidence.
- Sutton Trust: UK education charity focused on improving social mobility through education research, advocacy, and programs for disadvantaged pupils. Highly comparable mission (educational opportunity for disadvantaged young people), UK policy advocacy model, and research/grantmaking operating model similar to NSN.
- National Governance Association (NGA): UK membership organization supporting governance in academies and maintained schools, including training and recruiting trustees. Directly comparable to NSN's Academy Ambassador Programme work placing professionals on academy trust boards.
- Teach First: Major UK education charity that trains and places teachers in low-income communities while advocating for educational equity. Comparable as a UK charity using grant-funded programmes and policy advocacy to address disadvantage, though Teach First is significantly larger in scale.
Others
- Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL): UK professional association and trade union representing school and college leaders, actively lobbying on education policy. Comparable as an education-sector voice engaging policymakers on school reform and funding.
- Education Endowment Foundation: UK grant-making charity funding rigorous evaluation of evidence-based programs to improve attainment for disadvantaged pupils. Comparable to NSN's Innovation Pilot Programme as a grantmaker for evidence-based school interventions.
- Centre for Social Justice: UK think tank producing policy research on social mobility and disadvantage, including education. Comparable as a policy/advocacy organization with overlapping interest in free schools and academy reform narratives.
- Policy Exchange: UK think tank publishing policy research across multiple sectors including education. Comparable to NSN as an education-policy research and advocacy outlet with similar political orientation toward free schools and school autonomy.
- Ambition Institute: UK charity training teachers and school leaders in evidence-based approaches. Comparable as a UK education charity working to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, with adjacent teacher-development and school-improvement activities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
New Schools Network social profiles
Digital presenceNew Schools Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Schools Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
New Schools Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Schools Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Schools Network
What does New Schools Network do?
New Schools Network is a UK national education charity that supports free schools and academies in England. It delivers grant-making programmes (Innovation Pilot Programme and Innovation Fund) to fund evidence-informed approaches in schools, conducts research and policy publications advocating for academy freedoms, runs advocacy campaigns around education legislation, and convenes events connecting school leaders, policymakers, and researchers.
Is New Schools Network a public or private company?
New Schools Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was New Schools Network founded?
New Schools Network was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is New Schools Network based?
New Schools Network is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does New Schools Network make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and charitable contributions are the primary driver. The others are larger funder and sponsor support.
Who are New Schools Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ark (Absolute Return for Kids), Education Policy Institute, Sutton Trust, National Governance Association (NGA) and Teach First. Others are Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), Education Endowment Foundation, Centre for Social Justice, Policy Exchange and Ambition Institute.
Does New Schools Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Schools Network.
What industry is New Schools Network in?
New Schools Network's product category is Education Advocacy and Policy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.