This will consider whether the school projects meet a local demand for places and are of value to the taxpayer.
She is concerned that under the Conservative government “substantial funds were allocated to the free schools programme, often resulting in surpluses in school capacity”.
She cites National Audit Office research, which found that of the 113,500 new free school places due by 2021, half amounted to spare capacity in their local areas.
“Not only is this poor value for money, the oversupply of places can be detrimental to the other, more established schools in that area - who might lose pupils, as well as teachers, to their new competitor,” said Phillipson in announcing the review this week.
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