Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of school places in Hampshire; and what steps she is taking to allow children in Hampshire to walk to school.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one.

The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places in state-funded primary and secondary schools and local authorities’ own pupil forecasts as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013, with primary forecasts to 2017/18 and secondary forecasts to 2019/20, and is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013

Between 2009/10 and 2012/13, Hampshire Local Authority created 1,290 school places. There are 9,940 new primary places planned for delivery between 2013/14 and 2015/16 and the Department has estimated that Hampshire needs 920 additional primary places to meet anticipated demand in 2015/16. This information, along with technical notes, is published in the Local Authority Basic Need Scorecards, which is published online:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards

The Department provides capital funding to local authorities in line with the estimated level of need in each local authority. Hampshire has been allocated a total of £77.4 million for the period 2011-2015 and a further £11.5 million targeted basic need funding to create additional school places. The local authority has also been allocated £64.7 million for 2015-2017 to provide places needed by September 2017.

Local authorities are under a duty to promote sustainable travel and transport. The duty applies to children and young people of compulsory school age who travel to receive education or training in a local authority’s area. Local walking, cycling, and bus strategies should inform the local authority’s duty to promote sustainable school travel.