Free school policy ‘incoherent and poor value for money’
The Public Accounts Committee has strongly criticised the Government’s spending on new free schools, as well as its grip on providing much needed school places.
The Government has pledged to open 500 more free schools by 2020 and has recently announced the biggest wave yet (which includes two in the North East), saying this will give “more parents the choice of a good school place for their child”. However, the PAC report argues that its isn’t clear if the DfE is creating choice fairly and cost-effectively in the context of “severe financial constraints”.
Members of the Public Accounts Committee raised concerns over “tension between setting up new free schools and supporting existing schools”, adding that they remain to be convinced that the new free school policy represents the best use of the limited funds available.
This echoes a National Audit Office report which said billions were being spent on building new free schools while many of the existing schools were in crumbling, adding that this move was a “significant risk to long-term value for money”.
The PAC report, Capital Funding for Schools, states that many free schools are in inadequate premises, including many without on-site playgrounds or sports facilities. It warns the Department for Education of significant challenges in maintaining and improving the quality and capacity of the school estate, as many buildings are in poor and deteriorating condition.
It also found that, on average, the Department for Education has paid nearly 20% more for land for free schools than official valuations, with 20 sites costing over 60% more.
ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton, said: “The PAC report reflects many of our own concerns. The DfE needs to do more to ensure that the creation of new schools represents value for money.
“It is particularly important that they are provided only in areas where they are needed. In the past this has not always been the case and this has contributed to a postcode lottery with spare capacity in some areas while others do not have enough school places. Creating surplus places is an inefficient use of public money and damages existing schools where spare capacity is created.
“It is also vital that the next government provides more funding to address the £6.7 billion needed to return all existing school buildings to satisfactory or better condition, and that it provides schools with the revenue funding they need for general maintenance.”