Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 40
40
Accepted
Decisions on school closures and building conditions lack sufficient coordination across authorities.
Conclusion
We expressed concern about whether decisions relating to falling school rolls and improving the condition of schools are sufficiently joined-up across different local authorities and trusts. Historically, there have been school closures due to falling rolls, followed soon after by another demographic wave of pupils which means that more school places need to be created. More recently, in areas such as London, where there are schools on borough boundaries, individual decisions on closure or amalgamation can make little sense locally, but there is no requirement for schools to work together. Where closures are being discussed, this may influence decisions about whether to maintain the condition of these or other buildings. For instance, a school with falling pupil numbers may not attract funding, but children could be placed in a nearby school that does not have falling numbers but has major problems with its buildings, which will cause further disruption if the buildings require work further down the line.63
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's concern and states that local authorities already have a statutory duty for school places and manage demand, while also highlighting the provision of revenue funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, which now includes specific allocations and greater flexibilities for managing falling rolls and reducing surplus places.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
10.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 10.2 The statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places sits with local authorities. Local authorities already consider overall place requirements and forecast demand in their areas, including when making decisions about reducing school places. There is currently a period of declining birth rates, but local authorities are well placed to handle this, having managed periods of decline, bulges and shifts in local patterns before. They do however require the support and constructive engagement of other responsible bodies in the area to work collaboratively on place planning matters. 10.3 It is prudent to retain some spare capacity in the system, to manage shifting demand and unexpected changes, provide for parental choice and support effective management of the admissions system. The department expects local areas to avoid excessive levels of surplus capacity. Local authorities and other responsible bodies should work together to manage the estate efficiently by reducing or finding alternative uses for high levels of surplus, to avoid potential detriment to the educational offer or financial position of schools in the area. 10.4 The department would expect local authorities, trusts and other local partners to consider a spectrum of options for the reutilisation of space, including for example co-locating nursery or special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision, as well as options for reconfiguration, including via remodelling, amalgamations/mergers, and closures where this is the best course of action. Local factors should be carefully weighed up, along with considerations of the quality, diversity and accessibility of local provision and the forecast demand for places, to determine the most appropriate approach in a given area. The department’s Pupil Place Planning Advisers engage with local authorities on a regular basis to review their plans for places in their area; and when local authorities are experiencing difficulties, they offer support and advice. 10.5 The department ensures that the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), which prioritises poor condition buildings, considers opportunities for reducing the overall capacity of rebuilt schools when current and forecast need in the school and planning area has reduced, scrutinising and challenging sufficiency data where necessary. 10.6 In addition to capital funding to support local authorities to meet their sufficiency duty, the department provides them with revenue funding for growth and falling rolls, through their Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). This funding can be used by local authorities to support schools with managing a significant growth in pupil numbers before the lagged funding system has caught up or a short-term decrease in pupil numbers, where those places are forecast to be required in future years. The Department has allocated £242 million in Growth and Falling Rolls funding to local authorities in 2024-25 through the DSG, and for the first time this funding is being allocated based on falling rolls as well as growth. The department is also giving local authorities greater flexibilities to use this funding to meet the revenue costs of reducing surplus places.