Oral Question·Department for Education
“What plans she has for the free school application decisions that were paused in October 2024.”
Tabled: 14 October 2025Answered: 20 October 2025
Asked by
Mr Jonathan Brash
Labour — Hartlepool
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Education
Answer from Hansard
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)
The Government’s spending watchdog reported in 2017 that planned free schools would add an estimated 57,500 more spare school places. We are taking a common-sense approach, so that we can prove value for money from every pound of taxpayer money spent.