This document describes the data included in the ‘School Capacity: Academic Year 2024/25’ Official Statistics release’s underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data.
The methodology accompanying this release should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.
A description of how the school place planning estimates have been derived and how to interpret them is also provided in a technical guidance document accompanying this release. Users should read this technical guidance to understand the practical applications and limitations of the data.
Coverage
This release reports on school capacity information in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England in the academic year 2024/25, as of 1 May 2025. Data are as reported by local authorities in the annual School Capacity (SCAP) Survey.
Information is included on:
The number of primary and secondary school places from 2009/10 to 2024/25 , including unfilled school places and pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity (2019/20 data is not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 SCAP survey due to Covid-19);
Sixth form capacity in schools, where reported, from 2017/18 to 2024/25 (2019/20 data is not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 SCAP survey due to Covid-19);
Local authorities’ pupil forecasts up to 2029/30 at primary level and 2031/32 at secondary level; including places to be funded through housing developer contributions (HDCs) and housing infrastructure fund (HIF)
Local authority planned changes to school places up to 2027/28, including additional, bulge (temporary additional places for large cohorts) and places to remove;
The department ‘s modelled estimates of future number of places needed, up to 2029/30 at primary level and 2031/32 at secondary level.
This publication also includes Official Statistics in Development for:
Special school capacity,
The capacity of special educational needs (SEN) unit and resourced provision in mainstream schools,
Local authority forecast demand for specialist provision up to 2029/30 at primary level and 2031/32 at secondary level.
File formats and conventions
The following conventions are used throughout the underlying data. ‘z’ Not applicable. ‘x’ Not available.
Data files
All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.
Capacity - national
Filename
capacity_national_200910-202425.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2009/10 to 2024/25
Content
Number of schools, schools with sixth form places, school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places) and sixth form places as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll and sixth form pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Capacity - national
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
education_phase
School phase
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
pupils_over_capacity_count
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity
pupils_over_capacity_percent
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places
school_at_or_over_capacity_count
Number of schools at or in excess of capacity
school_at_or_over_capacity_percent
Percentage of schools at or in excess of capacity
school_count
Number of schools
school_places
Number of school places
school_places_change_from_200910
Net change in number of school places since 2010
school_places_change_from_previous_survey
Net change in number of school places since previous SCAP survey
school_under_capacity_count
Number of schools with one or more unfilled places
school_under_capacity_percent
Percentage of schools with one or more unfilled places
unfilled_places_count
Unfilled places
unfilled_places_percent
Unfilled places as a percentage of total places
Footnotes for Capacity - national
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.
Primary places include all reported capacity in primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places.
Secondary places include all reported capacity in secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places.
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.
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.
A school is identified as at or in excess of capacity when their pupil number on roll is greater than or equal to capacity.
2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
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 aggregated.
School places and net change in school places for 2024/25 have been affected by the Net Capacity Assessment programme and therefore do not represent school places built between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Number of schools, schools with sixth form places, school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places) and sixth form places as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll and sixth form pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Capacity - national, regional, local authority
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
education_phase
School phase
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
pupils_over_capacity_count
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity
pupils_over_capacity_percent
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places
school_at_or_over_capacity_count
Number of schools at or in excess of capacity
school_at_or_over_capacity_percent
Percentage of schools at or in excess of capacity
school_count
Number of schools
school_places
Number of school places
school_under_capacity_count
Number of schools with one or more unfilled places
school_under_capacity_percent
Percentage of schools with one or more unfilled places
unfilled_places_count
Unfilled places
unfilled_places_percent
Unfilled places as a percentage of total places
Footnotes for Capacity - national, regional, local authority
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.
Primary places include all reported capacity in primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places.
Secondary places include all reported capacity in secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places.
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.
A school is identified as at or in excess of capacity when their pupil number on roll is greater than or equal to capacity.
2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
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 aggregated.
School places and net change in school places for 2024/25 have been affected by the Net Capacity Assessment programme and therefore do not represent school places built between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Number of schools, schools with sixth form places, school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places) and sixth form places as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll and sixth form pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Capacity - school
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
pupils_over_capacity_count
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity
pupils_over_capacity_percent
Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places
school_places
Number of school places
unfilled_places_count
Unfilled places
unfilled_places_percent
Unfilled places as a percentage of total places
Footnotes for Capacity - school
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.
Primary places include all reported capacity in primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places.
Secondary places include all reported capacity in secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places.
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.
2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
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 aggregated.
School places and net change in school places for 2024/25 have been affected by the Net Capacity Assessment programme and therefore do not represent school places built between 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Number of schools with sixth form places and reported sixth form places as at 1 May 2025. Sixth form pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Sixth form capacity - national, regional, local authority
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
school_with_sixth_form_capacity_count
Number of schools with reported sixth form places
sixth_form_places
Reported sixth form places
sixth_form_pupils_on_roll_count
Sixth form pupils on roll in schools with reported sixth form places
Footnotes for Sixth form capacity - national, regional, local authority
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.
Includes mainstream state schools with pupils in year groups 12, 13 and 14. Excludes 16-19 only establishments.
Sixth form pupils on roll taken from the May school census for the relevant academic years. In a small number of schools the sixth form pupil on roll may include pupils from separate providers, where no corresponding capacity can be reported for the school in SCAP.
2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
Number of schools with sixth form places and reported sixth form places as at 1 May 2025. Sixth form pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Sixth form capacity - school
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
school_places
Number of school places
sixth_form_places
Reported sixth form places
sixth_form_pupils_on_roll_count
Sixth form pupils on roll in schools with reported sixth form places
Footnotes for Sixth form capacity - school
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.
Includes mainstream state schools with pupils in year groups 12, 13 and 14. Excludes 16-19 only establishments.
Sixth form pupils on roll taken from the May school census for the relevant academic years. In a small number of schools the sixth form pupil on roll may include pupils from separate providers, where no corresponding capacity can be reported for the school in SCAP.
2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
Number of schools and school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places) as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Special school capacity - school
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
primary_capacity_count
Number of primary school places
primary_pupils_on_roll_count
Number of primary pupils on roll
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
school_places
Number of school places
secondary_capacity_count
Number of secondary school places
secondary_pupils_on_roll_count
Number of secondary pupils on roll
Footnotes for Special school capacity - school
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.
Schools defined as "primary" include primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places. For middle schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Schools defined as "secondary" include secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places. For middle and all through schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Number of schools and school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places) as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Special school capacity - national, regional, local authority
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
education_phase
School main phase
primary_capacity_count
Number of primary places
primary_pupils_on_roll_count
Number of primary pupils on roll
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of pupils on roll
school_count
Number of schools
school_places
Number of school places
schools_with_primary_and_secondary_capacity_count
Number of schools with both primary and secondary places
secondary_capacity_count
Number of secondary places
secondary_pupils_on_roll_count
Number of secondary pupils on roll
Footnotes for Special school capacity - national, regional, local authority
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.
Schools defined as "primary" include primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places. For middle schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Schools defined as "secondary" include secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places. For middle and all through schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Pupils on roll for the 2024/25 academic year from the January 2025 school census and local authority pupil forecasts for 2025/26 onwards. Planning area data is only available in the data file.
Variable names and descriptions for Local authority specialist provision pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
education_phase
School phase
pupil_forecast_and_202425_actuals
Local authority pupil forecasts
Footnotes for Local authority specialist provision pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority
Pupil forecasts are provided from 2025/26 to 2029/30 for primary (Reception to Year 6) and from 2025/26 to 2031/32 for secondary (Year 7 to Year 11).
Number of mainstream schools with specialist provision places, school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places), SEN unit and resourced provision places as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - national, regional, local authority
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
education_phase
School main phase
primary_resourced_provision_capacity_count
Primary resourced provision capacity
primary_send_unit_capacity_count
Primary special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of school pupils on roll
resourced_provision_capacity_count
Resourced provision capacity
school_count
Number of schools
school_places
Number of school places
schools_with_primary_and_secondary_capacity_count
Number of schools with both primary and secondary places
secondary_resourced_provision_capacity_count
Secondary resourced provision capacity
secondary_send_unit_capacity_count
Secondary special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
send_unit_capacity_count
Special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
Footnotes for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - national, regional, local authority
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.
Schools defined as "primary" include primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places. For middle schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Schools defined as "secondary" include secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places. For middle and all through schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Number of mainstream schools with specialist provision places, school places (which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places), SEN unit and resourced provision places as at 1 May 2025. Pupils on roll from the May 2025 school census.
Variable names and descriptions for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - school
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
primary_resourced_provision_capacity_count
Primary resourced provision capacity
primary_send_unit_capacity_count
Primary special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
pupils_on_roll_count
Number of school pupils on roll
resourced_provision_capacity_count
Resourced provision capacity
school_places
Number of school places
secondary_resourced_provision_capacity_count
Secondary resourced provision capacity
secondary_send_unit_capacity_count
Secondary special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
send_unit_capacity_count
Special educational needs and disabilities unit capacity
Footnotes for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - school
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.
Schools defined as "primary" include primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places. For middle schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Schools defined as "secondary" include secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places. For middle and all through schools, capacity has been spilt into primary and secondary.
Pupils on roll for the 2024/25 academic year from the January 2025 school census, local authority pupil forecasts for 2025/26 onwards, and forecasts of HDC and HIF funded places for 2025/26 onwards. PA data is only available in the data file.
Variable names and descriptions for Local authority pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority, planning area
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Forecast housing infrastructure fund (HIF) funded places
nc_year_group
Phase and year group
pupil_forecast_and_202425_actuals
Local authority pupil forecasts (includes 2024/25 actual pupil numbers)
Footnotes for Local authority pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority, planning area
Number of actual pupils on roll in 2024/25 taken from January 2025 School Census.
Pupil forecasts are provided from 2025/26 to 2029/30 for primary (Reception to Year 6) and from 2025/26 to 2031/32 for secondary (Year 7 to Year 13).
Number of pupils expected to be educated in state-funded mainstream schools, provided by local authorities. Forecasts include future school places funded by Housing Developer Contributions and Housing Infrastructure Fund.
Future school places funded by Housing Developer Contributions are provided by local authorities on a cumulative basis.
Future school places funded by Housing Infrastructure Fund are provided by local authorities on a cumulative basis.
National pupil forecast figures will differ to the National Pupil Projections published annually by the Department for Education due to methodological and timing reasons. More information can be found in 'Methodology: School capacity'.
Estimates of future school places needed to meet modelled demand. Estimates are based on capacity as at 1 May 2025, forecasts and planned changes to school capacity as reported during summer 2025. PA data is only available in the data file.
Variable names and descriptions for Estimates of future school place demand - national, regional, local authority, planning area
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
additional_need_minus_spare_places
Estimated number of places needed: Additional need as positives and spare places as negatives
additional_need_only_places
Estimated number of places needed: Additional need only
nc_year_group
Phase and year group
Footnotes for Estimates of future school place demand - national, regional, local authority, planning area
Estimates are based on capacity as at 1 May 2025, forecasts and planned changes to school capacity as reported during summer 2025, supplemented with DFE internal data on centrally funded programmes due to add or remove school places. Estimates are calculated at planning area and year group and then aggregated.
Estimates are provided from 2025/26 to 2029/30 for primary (Reception to Year 6) and from 2025/26 to 2031/32 for secondary (Year 7 to Year 11).
"Estimated places needed: Additional need as positives and spare places as negatives" are not produced at a national and regional level because they would be unrepresentative of school place demand. They would suggest unrealistic levels of spare places, because demand in specific areas would be lost in the sum total.
A description of how these estimates have been derived and how to interpret them is provided in the school place planning estimates technical guidance accompanying this release (see supporting files under 'Explore data and files’).
Number of school places planned to be added or permanently removed from school capacity for 2025/26 to 2027/28. Only includes places with firm plans for delivery. Number of places are cumulative. PA and school data is only available in the data file.
Variable names and descriptions for Local authority planned changes to school places - national, regional, local authority, planning area, school
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
bulge_places
Bulge places (temporary additional places for large cohort)
nc_year_group
Phase and year group
places_to_add
Additional places (permanent)
places_to_remove
Places to remove (permanent)
Footnotes for Local authority planned changes to school places - national, regional, local authority, planning area, school
Cumulative places reported by local authorities in summer 2025 as planned to be added or permanently removed. Includes only projects with a high degree of certainty of going ahead, usually where funding has been committed.
Bulge places are places used to accommodate a specific large cohort. They move through the school with this cohort. Additional places are permanent places that will not move through the school with a specific cohort.
Excludes additional places and removal of school capacity planned from projects funded through DfE programmes, such as centrally funded Free Schools due to open.
Includes sixth form places. Excludes nursery places.