Free schools are all-ability schools, funded by the government, and can be set up by groups such as charities, universities, teachers or parents. Free schools came into being as part of the Academies Act 2010 and the Education Act 2011 and have the same legal status as academies. The first free schools opened in September 2011 and by the end of September 2017, 311 had been established, of which 156 were primary free schools, 118 secondary free schools and 37 all-through free schools. Nine have closed since being established (four primary, five secondary). This report takes a snapshot of the free school programme in England, seven years after its establishment, looking at the types of school set up, the characteristics of their pupils, and their academic outcomes.