Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Free School Applications

Monday 1 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Parents and pupils deserve a school system that builds on success, not one that holds it back.
  • The coalition Government opened 24 free schools in 500 days, while the current Government have spent over 400 days reviewing 44 already-approved schools.
  • The special needs budget and White Paper are overdue, causing uncertainty for approved mainstream and special needs schools.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Paul Holmes Con Hamble Valley
Education
Context

The coalition government had opened 24 free schools in just over a year, while the current government has spent more than 400 days reviewing 44 already-approved schools. Free schools are outperforming non-selective state schools at every key stage.

Question

Parents and pupils deserve a school system that builds on success, not one that holds it back. The coalition Government opened 24 free schools in 500 days, yet this Government have spent over 400 days reviewing 44 already-approved schools. Free schools outperform non-selective state schools at every key stage, so why are this Government blocking more children from accessing a good education?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)

There is a very simple answer to that question: the last Government left us with crumbling school buildings and a limited capital budget to allocate across the entire school estate. We have to balance rebuilding crumbling school buildings—which, as the National Audit Office and others have highlighted, were in a deteriorated state—with the need to prioritise extra school places in parts of the country that need them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked why free schools are being blocked despite their success, but the response focused on balancing capital allocation rather than directly addressing the blocking issue.

How: Working With Partners

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Q2 Nick Timothy Con West Suffolk
Education
Context

The special needs budget is uncertain, the White Paper is overdue, and many approved schools are in limbo. There is a list of special school projects that require decisions.

Question

The special needs budget mess is not the only uncertainty caused by this Government. The special needs White Paper is overdue, and 44 approved mainstream free schools and a number of approved special needs schools are in limbo. Schools, trusts or councils that want to open new special needs schools do not know the policy, the budget, or whether they will be allowed to open at all, so by what date will we get the White Paper? When will we get an answer to the budget mess, and when will we be told whether those free schools can go ahead?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)

The reason this Government need to create a policy and a budget for this system is that it was left in a complete mess—not that many months ago, the former Education Secretary described it as a “lose, lose, lose” situation. Getting the special educational needs system right and fixing it will take time, but we have already put £740 million of capital into the system. As the hon. Member highlighted, there is a list of special school projects; we are looking through those projects now, and will make a decision very soon.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked for specific dates and timelines but the response provided general assurances without concrete deadlines.

How: Under Review

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