DfE Manage Free School Projects - Beta

What are free schools?

Free schools are academies that operate independently from local authorities. Like academies, they benefit from several freedoms, including:

Free schools can be created via the ‘central route,’ led by DfE (formerly known as the wave route), or through a ‘presumption route,’ led by local authorities. Free schools are typically new institutions built with DfE funding, so it’s essential to capture information on applications as well as data on build costs and development.

What is Free School Store (FSS)

The Free School Store, also referred to as ‘The Store’ or ‘KIM Store,’ is a legacy system designed to:

FSS is widely used by various stakeholders, including delivery officers, team leaders, the School Places Analysis team (SPA), and the Grant Management and Funding Unit (GMFU). However, the system is outdated and due for decommissioning.

Objectives, approach and key challenges

The Beta phase focused on user-centred design and enhancing system functionality based on key findings from the Alpha phase. Our main objectives included:

1. Building the actual application

The Beta phase required us to deliver the functional application. The FSS codebase was significantly outdated, with no IT HealthCheck in the past 4–5 years. With insights from Alpha, we had a clear technical and usability direction to build an application capable of replacing FSS.

2. Designing an MVP that addresses user needs

We weren’t simply rebuilding the service in a new tech stack; our focus was on improving usability. Key areas included:

Key Interaction Design Activities and Findings

We employed various user-centred design techniques, including iterative design-prototype-research cycles, weekly feedback sessions with subject matter experts, and design critiques in UCD community meetups. Here’s how these techniques were applied:

1. Co-Designing with key users - "Create Project" journey

Creating new free school projects is a crucial journey during the pre-opening stage, allowing delivery officers to set up records in MFSP. The FSS version of this function was not intuitive and lacked comprehensive data validation, leading to human errors.

To improve it, we analysed the original journey, co-designed with subject matter experts to outline the primary structure, and prototyped a new journey for creating individual presumption projects (later repurposed to support central projects as well). The new function features a linear data-entry form, reducing cognitive load and improving accuracy. Regular user testing and collaboration with SMEs helped ensure the design incorporated both expert and user perspectives.

For more on this journey, see the Iterating the Single Project Journey blog post on DfE Design Histories.

2. Overhauling a Legacy Journey - Risk Ratings

The legacy risk ratings in FSS used a simplistic “high” or “low” system, despite policy guidance recommending a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rating. Additionally, FSS didn’t capture historical data, limiting users' ability to track changes over time.

To address this, we redesigned the risk ratings journey, implementing the RAG system and adding a historical view. The new design was iteratively developed from the original, with user research confirming its effectiveness and high user appreciation.

For more on the risk ratings design, see the Risk Ratings Journey blog post on DfE Design Histories.

3. Reusing solutions across teams - designing for risk ratings

Several RSD services function as project or case management systems, similar to MFSP. To maintain consistency, we analysed how other teams handled project lists and filtering, then customised these solutions for MFSP’s unique requirements.

For more details, see the Displaying Projects blog post on DfE Design Histories.

4. Cognitive Walkthrough - Accessibility Improvement via Collaboration and Content Design

We tested MFSP’s design with accessibility profiles, representing users with visual and motor impairments. Feedback from other RSD project teams and real users highlighted areas for improvement, including logical content arrangement, moving less relevant content to other sections, and clear labelling to reduce cognitive load. We also conducted partial and full accessibility audits at different stages, making improvements to colour contrast, font sizing, and button accessibility across devices.

5. Lift and Shift - Minimal Changes to Familiar FSS Tasks

Some FSS user journeys were well-established and familiar to users. For low-risk tasks, we employed a “lift-and-shift” approach, replicating successful legacy workflows. By reviewing guidance with SMEs, we transferred these tasks confidently, freeing up resources to focus on higher-priority areas.

Key Outcomes and User Feedback

The MVP of MFSP launched in June, covering all functions required for presumption projects. A second release in October introduced central route project functions. The Beta phase achieved significant improvements in user satisfaction and operational efficiency:

In addition to positive feedback from end-users, MFSP enabled DfE to fully transition away from the legacy KIM system, saving substantial maintenance costs, which is a huge achievement to me and DfE.