The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a £2.1m pilot scheme in England that will convert empty classrooms into community facilities such as youth clubs and health centres. Six councils have signed up to the initiative, which aims to address the growing surplus of school spaces caused by declining pupil numbers.
Pilot details and participating councils
The pilot will target areas with both high proportions of surplus places and a need for community facilities like family hubs. The six participating councils are Birmingham, Nottingham, Lincolnshire, West Sussex, and the London boroughs of Croydon and Lambeth. More councils are expected to join after the scheme is launched in the autumn. The first conversions are expected to be operational next year.
The DfE stated that the six councils "were selected from across England to reflect a mix of communities, helping government test different approaches to making the best use of surplus school space where it can have the biggest impact." Each area will develop proposals reflecting local needs, building an evidence base for how schools can continue serving communities even with falling pupil numbers.
Context of falling pupil numbers
The policy responds to a long-term decline in the number of children joining primary and secondary schools in England. According to one forecast, 800 primary schools could close by 2029-30. The number of children under 16 is expected to shrink by 6% over the next decade. Primary school pupil numbers have fallen by 85,000 since 2019 and are forecast to drop by a further 205,000 by 2028, according to the National Foundation for Education Research.
London has been hardest hit, with nine of the ten local authorities with the largest declines in primary school pupils located in the capital. Islington, Lambeth, and Southwark are expected to see the steepest declines over the next four years, while boroughs like Camden already have falling demand for secondary school places. Outside London, rural and coastal communities such as Lincolnshire are also experiencing sustained falls.
Government and stakeholder reactions
Josh MacAlister, the minister for children and families, said: "As birthrates fall and pupil numbers change, this government is taking action to help schools and councils make the most of spare space in schools for the benefit of local families and communities. Through this pilot, we will give a new lease of life to empty classrooms by transforming them into youth clubs, family hubs and other local services – making sure that school buildings continue working for children, parents and communities for years to come."
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association commented: "Councils would be keen to support any use of unused school space and would work with local residents and schools to ensure they benefit communities. We look forward to seeing further details of the proposals."
Broader implications and future plans
The sharp decline in pupil numbers has raised fears that councils might sell off school properties, leaving areas vulnerable to future shortages if demographic trends reverse. The National Audit Office recently criticized the government for having "no clear approach" to help schools or local authorities handle the decline. However, the DfE is encouraging schools and local authorities to use spare capacity to expand school-based nurseries and has allocated funding to create more places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.
The results from the pilot will inform further proposals from the DfE to be published later this year. The £2.1m allocation was corrected from an earlier figure of £3.1m.
