InEngland andWales, afoundation school is a state-funded school in which thegoverning body has greater freedom in the running of the school than incommunity schools.Foundation schools were set up under theSchool Standards and Framework Act 1998 to replacegrant-maintained schools, which were funded directly by central government.Grant-maintained schools that had previously beenvoluntary controlled orcounty schools (but notvoluntary aided) usually became foundation schools.
Foundation schools are a kind of "maintained school", meaning that they are funded by central government via thelocal education authority, and do not charge fees to students.As withvoluntary controlled schools, all capital and running costs are met by the government.As withvoluntary aided schools, the governing body employs the staff and has responsibility for admissions to the school, subject to rules imposed by central government.Pupils follow theNational Curriculum.[1][2][3]
Some foundation schools, also calledtrust schools, have afoundation ortrust that owns the land and buildings.Otherwise the land and buildings are owned by the governing body.The foundation usually appoints about a quarter of the school governors, as in voluntary controlled schools, but in some cases it appoints the majority of governors, as in voluntary aided schools.[4]
Within the maintained sector in England, approximately 2% of primary schools and 15% of secondary schools are foundation schools. Almost all of these are non-faith schools.[5]The proportion is considerably smaller in Wales, where four primary schools and eight secondary schools have foundation status.[6]
