Department for Education written question – answered at on 26 February 2026.
Rupert Lowe
Independent, Great Yarmouth
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Olivia Bailey
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The cost of feasibility studies conducted by the department on school building capital projects that did not proceed in the last 5 years is £8,689,888.
These costs are made up of capital funding, property costs, professional and technical services, staff and project management costs, and fees.
Between 2010 and 2024, over £300 million has also been spent on over 50 free schools that subsequently closed, money that could have been invested in places for children with special educational needs and disabilities or addressing urgent condition needs in existing schools.
This is why the department has taken action on the free schools pipeline. Projects that proceed will be those that meet the needs of communities, respond to demographic and housing demand, and raise standards without undermining the viability of existing local schools and colleges.
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