Data set from School capacity

School capacity - national only

Not the latest data

Published 23 March 2023

Last updated 23 March 2023

Total number of school places, which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places, reported by local authorities. Includes yearly and long-term change in the number of school places. File also includes number of pupils on roll from the May School Census; the number of schools at or in excess of capacity and the number of pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity; the number schools with one or more unfilled places and the number of unfilled places. 

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: School capacity
• Release: Academic year 2021/22
• Geographic levels: National
• Indicators:
  • Net change in number of school places since 2010
  • Net change in number of school places since previous SCAP survey
  • Number of pupils on roll
• Filters:
  • School phase
• Time period: 2009/10 to 2021/22

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_period	time_identifier	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	school_phase	count_schools	school_places	school_places_change_from_previous_survey	school_places_change_from_200910	pupils_on_roll	at_or_over_capacity_schools	percent_at_or_over_capacity_schools	pupils_over_capacity	percent_pupils_over_capacity	under_capacity_schools	percent_under_capacity_schools	unfilled_places	percent_unfilled_places
202122	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Total	20198	8952621	46654	1161976	7940834	3644	18.0413902366570948	59233	0.6616274719995407	16554	81.9586097633429052	1071020	11.9632004973738975
202122	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Primary	16791	4948297	5186	720770	4401508	2874	17.1163123101661604	22498	0.4546614724217241	13917	82.8836876898338396	569287	11.5047055582961168
202122	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Secondary	3407	4004324	41468	441206	3539326	770	22.6005283240387438	36735	0.9173833086433565	2637	77.3994716759612562	501733	12.5297803074876059
202021	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Total	20183	8905967	111986	1115322	7872735	3537	17.5246494574642025	56368	0.6329239710859023	16642	82.4555318832680969	1089331	12.2314735727181563
202021	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Primary	16791	4943111	46642	715584	4403235	2785	16.5862664522660949	20930	0.4234175603177837	14003	83.3958668334226669	560585	11.3407325872309968

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Variables in this data set

Table showing first 5 of 14 variables

Variable name	Variable description
at_or_over_capacity_schools	Number of schools at or in excess of capacity
count_schools	Number of schools
percent_at_or_over_capacity_schools	Percentage of schools at or in excess of capacity
percent_pupils_over_capacity	Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places
percent_under_capacity_schools	Percentage of schools with one or more unfilled places

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Footnotes

1. Includes mainstream state schools with capacity in any of the year groups from reception to year 11 on 1 May for the relevant academic year.
2. Primary places include all reported capacity in primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places.
3. Secondary places include all reported capacity in secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places.
4. The 2020/21 net change in school places is not comparable to previous years, as the time period for the change is two years rather than one year.
5. Number of pupils on roll for reception year group and above. Taken from the May school census for the relevant academic year, or gathered during the school capacity collection if census data wasn't available for a school.
6. Number of pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity is the difference between school places and number of pupils on roll, for schools where the number of pupils on roll is higher than the school’s reported capacity. Calculated at school level and then summed to national, regional or local authority level.
7. A school is identified as at or in excess of capacity when their pupil number on roll is greater than or equal to capacity
8. 2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to Covid-19.

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