An extra 750,000 school places will be needed in England by 2025 to keep up with a population bulge, says an official forecast from the Department for Education.

The pressure on creating new schools and extra classrooms will be one of the challenges for incoming Education Secretary Justine Greening.

Schools will have faced 16 consecutive years of rising pupil numbers.

The Department for Education says it has committed £7bn to extra places.

Between 2009 and 2016, the school system had already expanded to take in an extra 470,000 pupils.

From 2016 to 2025, the projection says there will be another 10% of pupils in the state school system, up from about 7.4 million to about 8.1 million.

Head teachers' leaders say that this "massive increase" will make it even harder for parents to get their preferred choice of school.

The official forecast from the Department for Education is used to plan for school places, classrooms, buildings and teaching staff.

The projection shows that the population bulge is moving through the secondary years - but that the increase in primary numbers is slowing.

The primary population is now 4.5 million - and the forecast predicts this will rise to 4.68 million in four years' time when it will stabilise.

The annual school census, published last month, showed the pressure on places had increased the average size of a primary school by 30 pupils, equivalent to an extra class.

But the next big increase will be in secondary schools, currently with 2.76 million pupils and forecast to rise to 3.04 million in 2020 and then 3.33 million in 2025.

It means that within the next decade secondary schools will have to create an extra 570,000 places - and these figures do not include post-16 education or sixth forms.

The increase has been driven by a rising birth rate - and the analysis says this reflects an increasing number of non-UK born mothers, who tend to have bigger families.

The forecast says "direct immigration of pupils" has had only a very small effect.

Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, said there needed to be much better integrated planning for extra places, including the involvement of local authorities.

Read more…


Don't worry, please call us anyway to discuss your ideal job.


26/06/25Councils face millions in extra Send costs as overhaul delayed

Cash-strapped councils in England will be hit with hundreds of millions of pounds in extra costs after the government delayed tackling the £5bn deficits spent supporting children and young people with special needs and disabilities.

25/06/25Rachel Reeves visits Kent to discuss free school meals and building more schools in county

Chancellor Rachel Reeves discussed the policies on a visit to a Kent school

17/06/25Record 1 in 5 pupils in England getting special education needs support

Nearly one in five pupils in England are receiving support for special educational needs (SEN) in the classroom, according to government statistics. It comes as separate statistics show a sharp rise in the number of tribunals concerning special educational needs support, as parents challenge the support on offer for their child. Teaching unions say systemic change in special educational needs provision is "urgently needed" for schools and students.

10/06/25'I couldn't imagine not teaching full-time - until I had my baby'

Alice returned to work three days a week at Oasis Academy Warndon in April and is on a flexible working arrangement for the next year, which means she can also take Oliver to regular baby group sessions. She believes delivering more flexible working options for teachers - especially those who are new parents - is going to be key to addressing ongoing issues with recruitment and retention in the profession. She wants all new parent teachers to be offered such flexibility, to allow them to "feel confident that taking that step forward in their personal life isn't going to lead to a step back in their professional life".

02/06/25£740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND

£740 million allocated for 10,000 new places for pupils with SEND New SEND places to create more inclusive classrooms in mainstream schools, delivering on Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity. From: Department for Education and The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP Published 27 March 2025