Concerns councils cannot meet demand for secondary school places

Almost half (49 per cent) of councils across the country are at risk of being unable to meet rising demand for secondary school places within the next five years, local government leaders have warned.

Department for Education (DfE) figures and local pupil forecasts by the Local Government Association (LGA) show that more than 125,000 children face missing out on a secondary school place by 2022/23.

The LGA has said that councils “urgently need to be given powers to force academies and free schools to expand if additional places are needed in a local area”.

The LGA also states that “with nearly two-thirds of secondary schools now academies” this is the “only way” to make sure councils can fulfil their “statutory duty to ensure every child has a school place”.

Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“Councils have worked hard to help create almost 600,000 additional primary places since 2010. This is no small feat.

“However, as those children move on to secondary schools, the majority of which are now academies, securing new secondary places in the areas where they are needed is becoming increasingly difficult.”

Cllr Watts continued:

“Councils are working with one hand behind their backs to help as many pupils as possible receive a place at their first choice school.

“If we are to avoid this looming secondary school places crisis, councils need to be able to force existing academy schools to expand if voluntary agreement is impossible and must be given back powers to open new maintained schools themselves.”