Six English councils will explore how unused classrooms and other spare school accommodation could provide SEND, early-years, health, family and youth services.
Birmingham, Nottingham, Lincolnshire, West Sussex, Croydon and Lambeth have reportedly been selected for the Department for Education’s school-estate pathfinder programme.
The participating authorities were identified in a Department for Education Freedom of Information response, obtained by Schools Week ]. The response itself has not been made available through the government’s public disclosure pages.
The programme forms part of the DfE’s Education Estates Strategy which sets out a ten-year plan for England’s school and college buildings.
Primary-school pupil numbers have been declining nationally since the 2018–19 academic year, although the scale and timing of the decline vary between local areas.
This demographic change is leaving some schools with classrooms and other facilities that are no longer fully occupied. The government wants to examine whether this space can be adapted for other services while keeping it available for future educational needs.
According to the estates strategy, schools and other responsible bodies need support to use surplus land and buildings more effectively.
The government intends to develop a decision-making framework covering the use of spare space in mainstream schools. It is scheduled for publication in autumn 2026.
The pathfinder councils will help test the practical, financial and legal considerations involved in repurposing school accommodation.
Possible uses identified in the government strategy include specialist provision for pupils with SEND; school-based nurseries; Best Start Family Hubs; youth facilities; neighbourhood health services; and services connected with new housing developments.
Evidence from the six pathfinder areas will inform the DfE’s national framework for dealing with surplus mainstream-school accommodation.
The framework is expected to help councils, schools, academy trusts and property owners balance immediate community needs against future changes in local pupil numbers.
