Data set from School capacity

Capacity - national

Latest data

Published 27 March 2025

Last updated 27 March 2025

Total number of school places, which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places. Includes yearly and long-term change in the number of school places. Includes number of pupils on roll from the May 2024 School Census.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: School capacity
• Release: Academic year 2023/24
• Geographic levels: National
• Indicators:
  • Number of schools
  • Number of school places
  • Number of pupils on roll
• Filters:
  • School phase
• Time period: 2009/10 to 2023/24

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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	education_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
202324	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Total	20174	9002372	24326	1213939	7996581	3532	17.5076	57725	0.64121989	16642	82.4923	1063516	11.81373087
202324	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Primary	16759	4950124	879	724809	4359531	2721	16.236	20737	0.4189188	14038	83.7639	611330	12.34979164
202324	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Secondary	3415	4052248	23447	489130	3637050	811	23.7481	36988	0.9127773	2604	76.2518	452186	11.15889255
202223	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Total	20188	8978046	25425	1189613	7993753	3661	18.1345	58616	0.65288148	16527	81.8654	1042909	11.61621359
202223	Academic year	National	E92000001	England	Primary	16779	4949245	1578	723930	4393178	2874	17.1285	21580	0.4360261	13905	82.8714	577647	11.67141655

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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
education_phase	School phase
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

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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 was not available for a school.
6. A school is identified as at or in excess of capacity when their pupil number on roll is greater than or equal to capacity.
7. 2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
8. 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.

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