Free Schools

Free schools consultation
For groups seeking to establish Free Schools, securing ‘evidence of demand’ through consultation is at the heart of the process. However, for many, the prospect of completing the ‘Evidence of Demand’ section of the Free Schools Proposal Form will almost certainly prove daunting.

At Cognisant we are committed to improving all forms of public sector consultation in order to ensure that projects are not undermined by lack of engagement from relevant consultees.

Whatever the scale of the project, for us the starting point is to understand the objectives and then to work in partnership, applying the best methodology to produce the quality outputs required.

Advice published by the New Schools Network suggests that the more support an applicant can demonstrate, from as many sources as possible, the more likely it is to happen. The consultation will need to engage a wide range of people within the community including parents, the Local Authority, Local Councillors, MPs, business people, teachers and the general public.

New Schools Consultation Tool Kit
Based on our considerable experience of running consultations, we have prepared our own off-the-shelf Consultation Tool Kit to help groups wishing to set up their own New Schools.

Essentially the kit contains all the necessary ingredients to take guide groups through the consultation process so that they can produce reliable evidence to underpin the case for a New School.

Three simple steps to running an effective consultation

Effective engagement can only be achieved from a well thought out, multi-method approach, with materials that truly convey the implications of what is being proposed. The stereotypical approach of sending out a letter inviting stakeholders to a public meeting is simply not enough to build a case for a New School.

Cognisant’s Consultation Tool Kit, includes three steps to running an effective consultation:

i) Preparing your ‘Consultation Plan’
Before rushing out with clip boards and booking consultation venues, three key questions need to be considered as a basis for preparing your Consultation Plan. Effective consultation is rarely ‘convenient’ to the proposer; it must be structured, targeted and meaningful if it is to truly engage with the target group. Method is key and multi-method approaches are often best at maximising participation with key stakeholders.

ii) The consultation process
An effective consultation process relies on two vital elements; firstly consultees need to be made aware a consultation is going on and secondly how to engage with it. To gain maximum engagement consultation information needs to be accessible, easy to understand and balanced in its description of the issues. Even more importantly it needs to be as easy as possible for everyone with an interest to provide their thoughts, comments and questions.

iii) Post consultation feedback and reporting
Having completed the first two stages it is easy to feel the job is done but you need to draw your results together and ensure that your process will stand up to scrutiny.

To find out how Cognisant can assist you with your Free Schools Consultation, talk to us today.