Free School Volunteering: using your skills to improve our schools Across the country, hundreds of groups of committed parents and teachers are working hard to set up a new generation of innovative state schools. Free Schools have the potential to change our education system and transform lives. For these schools to succeed, they must be able to access a wide range of skills and experience. You can help. The skills within your organisation could help create schools for thousands of children who are not currently getting the education they deserve. At the same time, your staff could be developing new skills in project management, finance, stakeholder relations and a variety of other disciplines. What are Free Schools? Free Schools are new, non–selective state schools set up in response to parental demand. They are accountable directly to government and have additional freedom to set their curriculum, staffing and ethos. www.newschoolsnetwork.org/network | Charity no. 1132122 | 020 7537 9208 | [email protected]How your involvement will help schools AND benefit your organisation To be approved and run a successful school, groups have to demonstrate not only educational knowledge but also the ability to run an organisation. This requires experience of a range of areas including finance, the law, HR and premises. By allowing and encouraging your staff to volunteer with a Free School project you can make a real difference to the lives of children, further embed your organisation in the community and expose staff to a wide range of business disciplines and experience.
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Free School Volunteering: using your skills to improve our schools
Across the country, hundreds of groups of committed parents and teachers are working hard to set up a new generation of innovative state schools. Free Schools have the potential to change our education system and transform lives.
For these schools to succeed, they must be able to access a wide range of skills and experience.
You can help. The skills within your organisation could help create schools for thousands of children who are not currently getting the education they deserve. At the same time, your staff could be developing new skills in project management, finance, stakeholder relations and a variety of other disciplines.
What are Free Schools?Free Schools are new, non–selective state schools set up in response to parental demand. They are accountable directly to government and have additional freedom to set their curriculum, staffing and ethos.
How your involvement will help schools AND benefit your organisationTo be approved and run a successful school, groups have to demonstrate not only educational knowledge but also the ability to run an organisation. This requires experience of a range of areas including finance, the law, HR and premises.
By allowing and encouraging your staff to volunteer with a Free School project you can make a real difference to the lives of children, further embed your organisation in the community and expose staff to a wide range of business disciplines and experience.
Ways to help a local schoolNSN offers both short and long-term volunteering opportunities - helping groups apply to set up Free Schools and once they are up and running.
Volunteers who have limited time or are looking for a one-off project could:
Help in gathering demand from parents and community stakeholders for a school
Help research and write the application to government
Assist in putting together a draft budget
Help to network with local partners and organisations
Offer occasional mentoring support to pupils in the school
Support school trips
Volunteers who are interested in working with a group in the longer term could:
Become a member of the steering group for applicants
Become a governor
Commit to a regular school programme (e.g. reading with children)
Be a mentor to a pupil
Help to fundraise
Provide the group with on-going expertise in a specialist area such as finance, premises or HR
The NSN system can be used to contact local groups and discuss what could help them the most with the commitment you can give. Volunteers can search by area to find local groups or seek out potential schools seeking people with certain skills.
How much time would someone have to contribute?One-off projects like compiling a draft budget could take just a few hours. Being a governor or helping in the school once it is open will require regular commitment.
One-off projects can be completed as part of existing CSR Programmes and paid volunteering days while longer commitments like governance would generally take place outside of working hours.
Volunteers should discuss expectations with Free School groups before committing.
What is the New Schools Network (NSN)?The New Schools Network (NSN) is an independent charity set up in 2009. We provide advice and guidance to groups going through the Free School application process. We also work to bring groups together with appropriate partners and volunteers.
Ways to get involvedOne of the first things your organisation can do is to promote the Free School Volunteering opportunity to their employees. This can be through internal communications via staff intranets or internal newsletters or by hosting information events in your sites. NSN can supply copy for articles, case studies and resources. We will always seek to be flexible and adapt our ways of working to the culture and needs of our partners.
How it worksVolunteers can register online via the NSN website. They will be able to declare their interests and skills and keep their contact details private. Free School groups can search the site to find volunteers and volunteers can search for Free School groups in their area.
Next stepsNSN appreciates that all organisations are different. We work collaboratively with partners to find systems that make supporting Free School volunteering as hassle-free as possible. One of our team would be delighted to meet with you to see how our work can easily be integrated into your existing CSR programme.
For more information please e-mail [email protected] or call 020 7537 9208
The Benefits for your organisationFree School volunteering has the potential to expose staff to a range of disciplines outside of their place of work as well as to further embed the business in the community. NSN will manage the brokering of volunteering opportunities, creating a no-fuss service for employers. We can also provide updates on the number of volunteers currently volunteering with Free Schools and the type of projects they are engaged with.
“Bates Wells & Braithwaite have experience in working innovatively with Academies and social enterprises. We have observed the development of the Free School initiative with interest and have welcomed the opportunity to offer pro bono assistance to Free School proposers. The company and charity law underpinning free school governance can be a challenging area for promoters setting up a new school. I believe that our support has aided groups’ knowledge and understanding of the legal requirements, principles and procedures involved in the establishment of a Free School. In turn, we have become caught up in the excitement of the very varied groups as they passionately pursue their purpose.
Free Schools are an expanding policy area, offering the opportunity to make a real, lasting difference to communities and to the lives of children. The varied and diverse nature of the projects can provide a range of interesting ways for individuals and organisations to explore new skill sets and to enhance their community engagement. Firms wishing to explore new avenues for pro-bono work or staff volunteering could well find an ideal route in the Free Schools movement and a helpful and professional partner in the New Schools Network.”
Mary Groom, Partner, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP
The Benefits for Individual Volunteers“I have been involved with an application to set up a Free School in Richmond – my role was to ensure that the proposal was realistic and that the proposed school would be financially viable. The development of a business plan for the enterprise led me to consider all aspects of the new school, from governance and salaries to premises management and pupil support. It taught me a lot about teaching too, and I became a passionate believer in the need to provide a sound education for all. It was an excellent way to “put something back” – what better way can there be of using your experience for the benefit of others? My Free School involvement started with the enormous task of creating the business plan, but will continue into financial management once the school opens and being a governor in the long term. Very satisfying.”
John Shearn, Production Consultant, SIS
The Benefits for Free School groupsGroups can benefit from specific knowledge of certain expert areas such as finance or HR as well as the more general business disciplines.
“External volunteers had a huge impact on the effectiveness of our group. Whereas we excelled in some areas, such as our teaching expertise, volunteers really helped to fill some of the skills gaps in our group. We had volunteers experienced in commercial law, finance, public relations, school governance and a building consultant, who all proved invaluable. On top of adding their expertise and professionalism to our group, our volunteers added extra energy; contributing great ideas and providing priceless contacts.”
Tania Sidney Roberts, Principal, Norwich Free School
