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Written question asked by Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 February 2026. It was answered by Josh MacAlister (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Special Educational Needs: Free Schools

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was originally made available for the provision of the planned 92 new special and AP free schools that were commissioned by the previous Government and were subject to a value for money review by this Government.

Answer

For the 18 schools where no trust had been appointed and which were in the earliest stages of development local authorities will receive funding for 2487 school places in Summer 2026, equivalent to places the school would have provided.

For local authorities with the choice between accepting the alternative funding offer or continuing with the free school, the deadline to confirm their choice is 27 February 2026. After this date, we will know how many local authorities have accepted the alternative funding offer and the total funding amount.

Funding for delivery of free school projects are provided at different stages of a project’s development, in line with key delivery milestones. Most of the projects in scope of the alternative funding offer are at the earliest stages of development and therefore have not received any funding. Where sites have been secured for these schools, details and costs of acquisitions will have been set out on the Land Registry website. Additionally, the department will have published contract details and costs for all free school construction contracts on Contracts Finder.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
109239
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Finance Special educational needs Free schools
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk