Department for Education
Academic year 2024/25

School capacity

School places in primary and secondary state-funded schools including sixth form. Local authorities’ pupil forecasts and planned changes to school places.

Quick links

Latest release

Next release

All releases in this series
Official statistics
Department for Education
Published
Last updated
1 updatefor Academic year 2024/25

On this page

Skip in page navigation

Explore data used in this release

This page provides a range of routes to access data from within this statistical release to suit different users.

Download all data (ZIP)

This includes all data sets, guidance files and any supporting files

More options

  • Featured tables

    Featured tables are pre-prepared tables created from a statistical release's data sets. They provide statistics that are regularly requested by users and can be adapted to switch between different categories.

  • Data sets: download or create tables

    Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.

  • Supporting files

    Supporting files provide an area for teams to supply non-standard files for download by users where required.

  • Data guidance

    Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.

  • Data catalogue

    Alternatively use our data catalogue to search and filter for specific data sets from this release or our entire library, providing full data summaries, data previews and access to API data sets.

Data sets: download or create tables

Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.

13 data sets available for download

Download all (ZIP)

  • Capacity - national

    National

    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.

    Number of rows
    48
    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 2024/25
    Data set information page for Capacity - national
    Create table using Capacity - national

  • Capacity - national, regional, local authority

    Local authority, National, Regional

    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.

    Number of rows
    7,386
    Indicators
    • Number of pupils on roll
    • Number of school places
    • Number of schools
    Filters
    • School phase
    Time period
    2009/10 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Capacity - national, regional, local authority
    Create table using Capacity - national, regional, local authority

  • Capacity - school

    School

    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.

    Number of rows
    302,304
    Indicators
    • Number of pupils on roll
    • Number of school places
    • Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity
    Time period
    2009/10 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Capacity - school
    Create table using Capacity - school

  • Sixth form capacity - national, regional, local authority

    Local authority, National, Regional

    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.

    Number of rows
    1,150
    Indicators
    • Number of schools with reported sixth form places
    • Reported sixth form places
    • Sixth form pupils on roll in schools with reported sixth form places
    Time period
    2017/18 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Sixth form capacity - national, regional, local authority
    Create table using Sixth form capacity - national, regional, local authority

  • Sixth form capacity - school

    School

    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.

    Number of rows
    14,230
    Indicators
    • Number of pupils on roll
    • Number of school places
    • Reported sixth form places
    Time period
    2017/18 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Sixth form capacity - school
    Create table using Sixth form capacity - school

  • Special school capacity - school

    School

    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.

    Number of rows
    3,267
    Indicators
    • Number of primary pupils on roll
    • Number of primary school places
    • Number of pupils on roll
    Time period
    2022/23 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Special school capacity - school
    Create table using Special school capacity - school

  • Special school capacity - national, regional, local authority

    Local authority, National, Regional

    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.

    Number of rows
    1,274
    Indicators
    • Number of primary places
    • Number of primary pupils on roll
    • Number of pupils on roll
    Filters
    • School main phase
    Time period
    2022/23 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Special school capacity - national, regional, local authority
    Create table using Special school capacity - national, regional, local authority

  • Local authority specialist provision pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority

    Local authority, National, Regional

    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.

    Number of rows
    3,300
    Indicators
    • Local authority pupil forecasts
    Filters
    • School phase
    Time period
    2024/25 to 2031/32
    Data set information page for Local authority specialist provision pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority
    Create table using Local authority specialist provision pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority

  • Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - national, regional, local authority

    Local authority, National, Regional

    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.

    Number of rows
    1,361
    Indicators
    • Number of school places
    • Number of school pupils on roll
    • Number of schools
    Filters
    • School main phase
    Time period
    2022/23 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - national, regional, local authority
    Create table using Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - national, regional, local authority

  • Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - school

    School

    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.

    Number of rows
    5,327
    Indicators
    • Number of school places
    • Number of school pupils on roll
    • Primary resourced provision capacity
    Time period
    2022/23 to 2024/25
    Data set information page for Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - school
    Create table using Specialist provision capacity in mainstream schools - school

  • Local authority pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority, planning area

    Local authority, National, Regional, Planning area (CSV only)

    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.

    Number of rows
    211,854
    Indicators
    • Forecast housing developing contribution (HDC) funded places
    • Forecast housing infrastructure fund (HIF) funded places
    • Local authority pupil forecasts (includes 2024/25 actual pupil numbers)
    Filters
    • Phase and year group
    Time period
    2024/25 to 2031/32
    Data set information page for Local authority pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority, planning area
    Create table using Local authority pupil forecasts - national, regional, local authority, planning area

  • Estimates of future school place demand - national, regional, local authority, planning area

    Local authority, National, Regional, Planning area (CSV only)

    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.

    Number of rows
    162,537
    Indicators
    • Estimated number of places needed: Additional need as positives and spare places as negatives
    • Estimated number of places needed: Additional need only
    Filters
    • Phase and year group
    Time period
    2025/26 to 2031/32
    Data set information page for Estimates of future school place demand - national, regional, local authority, planning area
    Create table using Estimates of future school place demand - national, regional, local authority, planning area

  • Local authority planned changes to school places - national, regional, local authority, planning area, school

    Local authority, National, Regional, Planning area (CSV only), School (CSV only)

    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.

    Number of rows
    105,231
    Indicators
    • Additional places (permanent)
    • Bulge places (temporary additional places for large cohort)
    • Places to remove (permanent)
    Filters
    • Phase and year group
    Time period
    2025/26 to 2027/28
    Data set information page for Local authority planned changes to school places - national, regional, local authority, planning area, school
    Create table using Local authority planned changes to school places - national, regional, local authority, planning area, school
Back to top

Supporting files

Supporting files provide an area for teams to supply non-standard files for download by users where required.

1 supporting data file

Back to top

Data guidance

Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.

Description

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.
 

Back to top

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about School capacity statistics and data:

Pupil Place Planning team

Email: SCAP.PPP@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Robert Miller

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Phone: 0370 000 2288

Opening times

Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)

Back to top