Written Question·Department for Education·UIN 120536

Private Education: Pupils

Tabled: 12 March 2026

Answered: 18 March 2026

Named Day

Question

Saqib Bhatti

Conservative — Meriden and Solihull East

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils left independent schools in 2024 compared with 2025, and how this compares with the estimated figure of 3,000 pupils.

Answer

Olivia Bailey

There were 129 private school closures between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2025. In 2024, there were 58 closures and in 2025 there were 71 closures.The government does not collect pupil-level data from private schools.