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Image: Martine Hamilton Knight Photography
With falling pupil numbers recorded by the Government against a rise in the number of schools overall, it is clear that planning for future provision is a precarious balancing projects like university science and business parks, and suddenly location becomes just as important as the size of school provision. So how and when are new school projects triggered? Sean Conneely, director of project management at multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard, discusses how data can drive investment in education sites...
In terms of line graph data, the number of pupils in schools across England indicating just over 9 million pupils at the start of 2025, down by 59,600 compared to 2024. A peak in births in 2013 means that
while the secondary school population is predicted to increase until 2027, primary school numbers are dropping. The average primary class size has shrunk, and while it may come as some surprise that we now have more schools in England, minor increases in the number of secondary schools, special schools and independent schools have been offset by primary school closures. At a time when driving up standards is the core message coming from the Department for Education (DfE) are we now entering a phase where school building infrastructure is seen as
Don’t be so sure. The role of schools in providing opportunities At the beginning of the year, 46.1% with over half of pupils (58.4%) attending one. This shows a shift towards academies, with more pupils attending them even though they are not the majority of schools. There are 11,280 academies across the country, 10,743 state-maintained schools and 2,456 independent schools. You might think from the numbers that more schools, fewer pupils, and more manageable class sizes all make for a happy medium. Yet while a pause was placed on opening 44 new state schools by ministers in October 2024, based on potential demand and value for money,
it would seem the Government sees the provision of school places as more about choice and tailored facilities than numbers on a spreadsheet. Under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which has had its second reading in the House of Lords, local authorities and schools are expected to work more collaboratively to make sure there are enough school places in the local area and that children without a place can get one quickly. The legal framework for opening
new state-funded schools will change, allowing for proposals for other types of schools, not just academies, to be put forward. This will include proposals from councils themselves. Local authorities are legally responsible
school places for all children living in their area and while uncertainty over the
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