DfE property firm sets out example of a primary academy closing to make way for housing, in presentation stating school site sell-offs could raise up to �15 million

LocatED and the DfE are piloting sell-offs of school land to meet the national need for new houses

Schools could be closed to make way for housing, with the resulting cash pumped into regenerating other institutions run by the same academy trust, slides from a recent presentation by the Department for Education’s property development company appear to suggest.

The talk earlier this month from LocatED, which buys and develops sites for free schools, includes a seemingly live example whereby an academy trust – currently financially troubled - which runs two primary schools two miles apart in a rural county in the south of England would close one and redevelop the other.

On the one site would be housing, while on the other, in a different village, it appears that some extra school buildings would be added.

The presentation was made by senior officials from LocateED and the Department for Education itself at the “Schools and Academies Show” earlier this month, in updating attendees on plans to investigate up to 20 projects which would see parts of school sites sold for housing.