Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the planned free school in Bedford Borough is under review by her Department.

The government wants to ensure children achieve and thrive in education, whatever type of school they are in, including free schools. School capacity varies from place to place, and demand for places varies from area to area and year to year, so the department will continue to ensure the opening of new schools only where they are needed.

Departmental officials are working with local authorities, academy trusts and other partners to take forward work on the review of mainstream free school projects over the autumn and have written to them, setting out the next steps in relation to individual projects.