Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new local authority maintained schools have been established since 1 January 2014 as a result of the amalgamation of two or more maintained schools.

Since 1 January 2014, 42 new local authority maintained schools have been established. Of these schools, 25 were established as a result of amalgamation.

The table attached lists the LA maintained schools that have been established since 1 January 2014, alongside the relevant local authority and the reason for establishment. This includes all local authority maintained mainstream provision, but does not include special schools, pupil referral units or LA maintained nursery schools.

This data was obtained from ‘Get Information about Schools’ (GIAS).[1]

It has always been possible to establish a new local authority maintained school, in certain circumstances, under section 10 or section 11 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Section 10 proposals require the permission of the Secretary of State prior to their publication.

A ‘new school’ may not always be ‘new provision’, and may be replacement provision following the closure of one or more schools. This includes where a school has opened as a result of an amalgation (where two or more existing schools have closed and have been replaced by a new school), where a school changes its religious character, or where independent schools join the state-maintained sector.

[1] The responsibility for updating GIAS is shared between the Department for Education, local authorities and schools, it changes each day as data is removed and uploaded therefore we are unable to guarantee complete accuracy.