Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent schools (a) opened and (b) closed in each year from the earliest year for which data are available.

The government has maintained a register of independent schools since the Education Act 1944 came into force in 1945. The register shows that 3679 independent schools have opened since 1945.

Data on independent school closures is available from 1987 and shows 2674 independent schools have closed since 1987. The attached table outlines how many independent schools have opened and closed in each year. Data on school registration and closure can be found at. https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.