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Officials too slow to act on falling pupil numbers in England, says watchdog
UK NewsPolitics•April 22, 2026 at 7:01 AMNational

Officials too slow to act on falling pupil numbers in England, says watchdog

By Richard Adams Education editor•The Guardian - UK News

Demographic changes will cause a glut of school places, according to National Audit Office reportA failure to account for England’s falling birthrate is leading to a glut of school places and a potential £1bn fall in pupil funding over the next three years, according to a National Audit Office report.The government’s spending watchdog said the Department for Education started to specifically track the risks around changing demographics only in 2024, long after primary enrolments began falling in 2018. Continue reading...

Demographic changes will cause a glut of school places, according to National Audit Office report

A failure to account for England’s falling birthrate is leading to a glut of school places and a potential £1bn fall in pupil funding over the next three years, according to a National Audit Office report.

The government’s spending watchdog said the Department for Education started to specifically track the risks around changing demographics only in 2024, long after primary enrolments began falling in 2018.

Continue reading...