To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to ensure an adequate number of places at secondary schools in Surrey.

Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure that there is a school place available for every child. The Department provides basic need funding for every place that is needed, based on local authorities’ own data on pupil forecasts. Surrey has been allocated £287.4 million to provide new school places from 2011-21. This funding is not ringfenced, allowing local authorities greater flexibility to make decisions that are best for their local area.

There is currently one mainstream secondary free school, one specialist maths free school, and two special free schools with secondary provision in the pre-opening phase in Surrey. The Department is currently working with proposer groups to establish these new schools as soon as possible.

The current Spending Review settlement covers capital budgets until 2021. Capital funding for education beyond the current period will be agreed as part of the next Spending Review, where the Department will have the opportunity to discuss capital funding for education in the round and to consider how we can best support the sector.