Capacity - national
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Total number of school places, which includes sixth form places and excludes nursery places. Includes yearly and long-term change in the number of school places. Includes number of pupils on roll from the May 2024 School Census.
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Data set details
- Theme
- Pupils and schools
- Publication
- School capacity
- Release
- Academic year 2023/24
- Release type
- Number of rows
- 45
- Geographic levels
- National
- Indicators
- Number of schools
- Number of school places
- Number of pupils on roll
- Net change in number of school places since 2010
- Net change in number of school places since previous SCAP survey
- Number of schools at or in excess of capacity
- Percentage of schools at or in excess of capacity
- Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity
- Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places
- Number of schools with one or more unfilled places
- Percentage of schools with one or more unfilled places
- Unfilled places
- Unfilled places as a percentage of total places
- Filters
- School phase
- Time period
- 2009/10 to 2023/24
Data set preview
| time_period | time_identifier | geographic_level | country_code | country_name | education_phase | count_schools | school_places | school_places_change_from_previous_survey | school_places_change_from_200910 | pupils_on_roll | at_or_over_capacity_schools | percent_at_or_over_capacity_schools | pupils_over_capacity | percent_pupils_over_capacity | under_capacity_schools | percent_under_capacity_schools | unfilled_places | percent_unfilled_places |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202324 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | Total | 20174 | 9002372 | 24326 | 1213939 | 7996581 | 3532 | 17.5076 | 57725 | 0.64121989 | 16642 | 82.4923 | 1063516 | 11.81373087 |
| 202324 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | Primary | 16759 | 4950124 | 879 | 724809 | 4359531 | 2721 | 16.236 | 20737 | 0.4189188 | 14038 | 83.7639 | 611330 | 12.34979164 |
| 202324 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | Secondary | 3415 | 4052248 | 23447 | 489130 | 3637050 | 811 | 23.7481 | 36988 | 0.9127773 | 2604 | 76.2518 | 452186 | 11.15889255 |
| 202223 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | Total | 20188 | 8978046 | 25425 | 1189613 | 7993753 | 3661 | 18.1345 | 58616 | 0.65288148 | 16527 | 81.8654 | 1042909 | 11.61621359 |
| 202223 | Academic year | National | E92000001 | England | Primary | 16779 | 4949245 | 1578 | 723930 | 4393178 | 2874 | 17.1285 | 21580 | 0.4360261 | 13905 | 82.8714 | 577647 | 11.67141655 |
Variables in this data set
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| at_or_over_capacity_schools | Number of schools at or in excess of capacity |
| count_schools | Number of schools |
| education_phase | School phase |
| percent_at_or_over_capacity_schools | Percentage of schools at or in excess of capacity |
| percent_pupils_over_capacity | Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity as a percentage of total places |
| percent_under_capacity_schools | Percentage of schools with one or more unfilled places |
| percent_unfilled_places | Unfilled places as a percentage of total places |
| pupils_on_roll | Number of pupils on roll |
| pupils_over_capacity | Pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity |
| school_places | Number of school places |
| school_places_change_from_200910 | Net change in number of school places since 2010 |
| school_places_change_from_previous_survey | Net change in number of school places since previous SCAP survey |
| under_capacity_schools | Number of schools with one or more unfilled places |
| unfilled_places | Unfilled places |
Footnotes
- Includes mainstream state schools with capacity in any of the year groups from reception to year 11 on 1 May for the relevant academic year.
- Primary places include all reported capacity in primary and middle deemed primary schools. Capacity excludes nursery places.
- Secondary places include all reported capacity in secondary, middle-deemed secondary and all-through schools. Capacity includes sixth form places.
- The 2020/21 net change in school places is not comparable to previous years, as the time period for the change is two years rather than one year.
- Number of pupils on roll for reception year group and above. Taken from the May school census for the relevant academic year, or gathered during the school capacity collection if census data was not available for a school.
- A school is identified as at or in excess of capacity when their pupil number on roll is greater than or equal to capacity.
- 2019/20 data not available due to the cancellation of the 2020 School Capacity survey due to COVID-19.
- Number of pupils in places that exceed their school's capacity is the difference between school places and number of pupils on roll, for schools where the number of pupils on roll is higher than the school’s reported capacity. Calculated at school level and then summed to national, regional or local authority level.
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Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Capacity - national statistics and data:
Pupil Place Planning team
Email: SCAP.PPP@education.gov.ukContact name: Robert Miller