The DfE wrote to Achieving for Children on 22 October 2024 about the project to build the new secondary school at the Stag Brewery site. The Council has published the letter today.

The letter below raises major questions about the conduct of the Planning Inquiry which is currently due to go ahead on 5 November 2024.

It appears that DfE funding for Livingstone Academy will be reconsidered. If the funding was withdrawn, that would require a major rethink about the use of the site. Many of the problems highlighted here in previous postings and by parties opposed to using the site for a secondary school would be substantially diminished.

Can the Public Inquiry realistically proceed with such an important question to be decided by central government hanging over the whole hearing?

Which comes first, a decision on planning or policy?

The letter refers to discussions with the Council and that is of course necessary and proper. But will the Council make any reference to the substantial and well-founded reservations voiced by the community. They have never paid any heed to the local community to date: how do we make the Minister and the DfE aware of the position? Should we be pressing our local MP, who has to date remained entirely silent on the issue, to acquaint the Minister with the full position?

Review of planned new mainstream free school projects

As you may know, the Secretary of State has announced a review of planned
mainstream free schools, to ensure that they continue to meet a need for places in the
local area and offer value for money. I am writing to provide more information on this
process.

Context

Education is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to
opportunity and give every young person the best start in life, no matter their
background. The Government is determined to drive high and rising education
standards for children across the country. To achieve this, we need to ensure
government funding is targeted where it is most needed.

Significant money has been spent to create surplus capacity through the free schools
programme. For example, the National Audit Office set out in 2017 that of the 113,500
new places in mainstream free schools due by 2021, an estimated 57,500 amounted
to spare capacity in the new schools’ local area. Meanwhile, in the fourteen years since
the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme, some of this
funding could have been put to better use improving the deteriorating condition of our
existing schools and colleges.

Review of mainstream free schools

The Secretary of State has therefore asked the Department to review mainstream free
schools planned by the last government, and that have not yet opened, to ensure that
they continue to meet a need for places in the local area and offer value for taxpayers’
money. As part of this, we will also take into account the nature of the provision that is
proposed and any impact on existing local providers.

This process will allow us to work closely and openly with you as we progress with the
review and we will engage with local authorities and trusts with more details about
what this means for individual projects shortly.

The Government’s priority is to ensure children thrive in whichever type of school they
are in – including free schools. Because capacity varies from place to place, the
Department will continue to open planned new schools where they are needed and
represent value for money. We also value the role of academy trusts within the school
system. Strong trusts use their collaboration and leadership to deliver exceptional
results for children and young people, including those in disadvantaged areas.
Academy trusts will continue to have a crucial role in our mission to break down the
barriers to opportunity.

As part of this work, we will be in contact with you very shortly to discuss the following
projects and explain more about next steps:

• FS0524, Livingstone Academy West London
  
• Our review does not include new school projects being delivered locally via the
  ‘presumption’ free school route. For clarity, where relevant, these projects will be listed
  above as not needing any further information for this process and will continue to
  progress as planned. [The presumption free school route requires the Council to be responsible for capital costs. The whole point of the current application is that the DfE was to be responsible under a pre-existing scheme.]
• 
  We recognise the significant planning and effort that trusts and local authorities have
  invested in their projects, and we understand that this review may raise questions and
  concerns. As we progress the review, we will aim to prioritise decision-making based
  on the urgency of delivery issues wherever possible.
  
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