Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has set aside capital funding for the provision of potential additional places in state schools in the event they are required as a result of pupils moving from the independent sector to the state sector.

Education is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity so every child gets the best start in life. Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise revenue to drive forward the change this government is committed to deliver. The department is supporting HM Treasury, which will deliver the tax changes. Further details were published by the government on 29 July 2024 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools.

The department collects pupil forecasts and school capacity data from local authorities annually through the School Capacity survey. This data shows that, in May 2023, 11.7% of primary capacity and 11.5% of secondary capacity was unfilled nationally, meaning school places are available in many parts of the country.