Summary: School Capacity in England 2023/24

The Department for Education’s latest data on school capacity for 2023/24 reveals key trends in how well England’s schools are meeting current and future demand for pupil places.

Pupils in Over-Capacity Schools

  • As of May 2024, 58,000 pupils (0.6%) were in places that exceeded their school’s capacity-consistent with previous years and lower than the 97,000 (1.2%) in 2009/10.
  • In primary schools, 21,000 pupils (0.4%) were over capacity, down from 22,000 in 2022/23.
  • In secondary schools, 37,000 pupils (0.9%) were over capacity, similar to last year.

Unfilled Places

  • Schools with more capacity than pupils enrolled are considered to have “unfilled places.”
  • Unfilled places can result from local authorities planning ahead, new schools filling up from lower years, or declining pupil numbers.
  • In May 2024, 84% of primary schools (14,000) and 76% of secondary schools (3,000) had at least one unfilled place.
  • Primary schools had 611,000 unfilled places (a 5.8% increase from 2022/23), the highest since 2009/10, reflecting a fall in primary-aged pupils.
  • Secondary schools had 452,000 unfilled places, now at their lowest since 2011/12 after a period of rising capacity in anticipation of larger cohorts.
  • Total unfilled places across all schools: 1.1 million (12% of total places).

Future Demand and Forecasts

  • Local authorities forecast a 1% annual decline in primary pupils through 2028/29.
  • Secondary pupil numbers are expected to peak at nearly 3.7 million in 2027/28, then decline.
  • Local authorities plan a net increase of just under 49,000 places over the next three years, a lower rate than in previous years, reflecting slowing demand.
  • Despite falling primary rolls, some areas will still need more places: by 2028/29, an estimated 36,000 primary and 37,000 secondary places will be needed nationally, on top of planned increases.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision

  • Data on SEN provision is newly collected and still developing.
  • In May 2024, England had 1,089 special schools with 153,000 places (61,000 primary, 92,000 secondary).
  • Pupil numbers in special schools (160,000) slightly exceed capacity, especially in secondary phases.
  • There are 9,800 SEN unit places and 20,000 resourced provision places in mainstream schools, with both numbers increasing.
  • Local authority forecasts expect pupils with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans needing specialist provision to rise from 229,000 in 2024/25 to 273,000 by 2028/29, even as the general school-age population declines.

Key Takeaways

  • England’s school system continues to manage capacity well, with only a small percentage of pupils in over-capacity schools.
  • Unfilled places are rising in primary schools due to falling birth rates, while secondary schools are seeing a reduction as larger cohorts move through.
  • Specialist provision for pupils with SEN is growing, but demand is fore