The Russell Education Trust (RET) is a Multi-Academy free school Trust. It provides educational support services in the creation and operation of free schools. It is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with exempt charity status, regulated by the Department for Education. Its board members include experienced educationalists and representatives from RET school governing bodies.
RET was established in 2010 by the school improvement company Education London (EL), which provides educational support services to Government, notably as a service provider to the London Challenge, as well as to individual Local Authorities and schools. Both organisations are based in the same office building in Leatherhead, Surrey.
The Russell Education Trust is working with parents, communities, and diocesan authorities to establish the following free schools:
Governance Model
RET established its first two free schools using the Single Academy Trust model. It formed two sub-trusts, the Bristol Free School Trust and the Becket Keys CofE Free School Trust, which each signed free school funding agreements with the Secretary of State. Like RET itself, RET's sub-trusts are exempt charities, regulated by the Department for Education.
For its later schools RET used the Multi-Academy Trust model.