MPs have questioned “how much of a grip” the Department for Education has on providing school places where they are needed in England.
The system is “increasingly incoherent and too often poor value for money,” says the Public Accounts Committee. And the government is spending “well over the odds” on free schools while other schools are in poor condition, says the cross-party committee. Ministers say free schools are key to meeting demand for school places. The government has pledged to open 500 more free schools, which are state-funded but independently run, by 2020 and has plans for a further 110.
The MPs’ investigation builds on a National Audit Office report in February which said billions were being spent on free schools while many existing school buildings were crumbling. The NAO said this was a “significant risk to long-term value for money”. The MPs agree that having enough school places in safe, high-quality buildings, where they are needed, is crucial.”Without this, parents may have less choice, pupils may have inconvenient journeys to school and the learning environment may be less effective, putting educational outcomes at risk,” they say. Read more