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Free Schools

Asked by Nick TimothyConservativeDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 21 January 2026UIN 103942

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authority presumption free schools have been established since central applications were closed last year, broken down by (a), primary, (b) secondary, (c) post-16, and (d) special schools.

Answered by Josh MacAlister

The number of free schools that have been opened through the free school presumption process since July 2024 is as follows:

Primary

23

Secondary

0

All-through

1

Post-16

0

Special

8

Alternative provision

1

For comparison, the number of presumption free schools that were established in the previous academic year (2023/24) was:

Primary

12

Secondary

0

All-through

1

Post-16

0

Special

1

Alternative provision

0

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