“`html
£325 Million Wasted on Failed Free Schools as England’s school Buildings Crumble
A freedom of information request has revealed that Conservative governments spent £325 million creating 67 free schools that afterward failed or were closed, often due to a lack of student enrollment.The revelation comes as critics point to a significant underinvestment in rebuilding existing school infrastructure, leaving many English schools in a state of disrepair.
The Department for Education (DfE) data shows that between 2014-15 and 2023-24, over £10 billion was allocated to building new schools, while only £6.8 billion was dedicated to rebuilding existing ones. This disparity has led to a growing backlog of dilapidated and decaying school buildings across England.
Launched in 2010 by then-Education Secretary Michael Gove, the free school program allowed groups and organizations to bid for funding to establish new, centrally-approved schools. While some free schools, like the Michaela Community school in London, have proven prosperous, many others struggled to attract students and were ultimately absorbed by existing schools or simply closed.
Since 2010, more than £325 million in capital funding was spent on 67 centrally-delivered free schools that later ceased operation, validating earlier warnings from the National Audit Office. The audit office had predicted that 50% of new free school places created between 2015 and 2021 would represent surplus capacity in thier respective local areas.
“These staggering figures represent the worst excesses of Tory free schools dogma,” a senior official stated. “The Tories unforgivably prioritized unneeded free schools, which subsequently closed, over rebuilding crumbling schools and putting special school places where they were badly needed.”
the current Labor government asserts it has begun to address these foundational issues within the school system.”This Labour government has fixed the foundations of our school system, dealing with the forces outside the school gates that wreck children’s life chances and improving standards in stuck schools,” the official continued. “Now we’re going to reform our schools so that children once forgotten by the system are now included, so they all have an education which broadens, not narrows, horizons so that every child has the chance to succeed.”
One stark example of a failed free school is the Waterside Primary Academy in Nottingham, built at a cost of £11.5 million with the capacity for 210 students.Due to insufficient demand, the school never opened. Late last year, the DfE agreed with Nottingham City Council to repurpose the building as a satellite location for the existing Rosehill Special School, increasing access to specialized education for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
A regional breakdown of the wasted funds reveals that £55 million was spent on eight free schools in London that either closed or were “rebrokered” – transferred from one academy trust to another. In the West midlands,£16 million was allocated to two failed free schools,while 57 existing schools in the region remain on the DfE’s rebuilding program list.
However, proponents of the free school program argue it has brought positive change to the English education system. Meg Powell-Chandler, director of the New Schools Network, contends that the program “injected new energy” into the system, fostering innovation and fresh perspectives from teachers and leaders.
“Free schools now outperform other non-selective state schools from the phonics check to A-levels, raising standards, increasing choice and improving outcomes for hundreds of thousands of pupils,” Powell-Chandler said.She urged the government to move forward with 44 approved mainstream projects and stalled special and alternative provision schools, arguing they are vital for improving educational opportunities in underserved areas.
In October of last year, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a pause in planning for these 44 schools, pending a government evaluation of their value for money. A decision regarding their future is anticipated soon.
