- 30/12/2025
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: Local News, Press Releases
PRESS INFORMATION – 30 DECEMBER 2025– FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RT HON VALERIE VAZ MP QUESTIONS DECISION TO APPROVE £50M FREE SCHOOL AMID FALLING ROLLS
Rt Hon Valerie Vaz MP said:
“On 9 December 2025 I met with the Minister for Children and Families, Josh MacAlister MP, with headteachers and a school governor from schools in Walsall and Bloxwich to put the case to prioritise investment in existing schools over
building a new free school on the former Reedswood golf course, on the Jubilee Woodland.”
“I am disappointed that despite a positive meeting, later that week the Secretary of State for Education, announced that £50 million would be allocated for the free school whilst cancelling other schools.”
“What is shocking is that the most recent figures provided by Walsall Council show that there will be a surplus of school places over the next 6 years. The educationalists confirmed this to the Minister.”
“I first wrote to the Secretary of State on 9 October 2024 to raise this issue and the Secretary of State confirmed in a statement on 22 October 2024 that the “free schools programme under the last Government often resulted in surpluses in school capacity.” The Secretary of State acknowledged that it was “poor value for money and the oversupply of places can be detrimental to more established schools.” The Secretary of State also said that “some of the funding could have been put to better use improving the deteriorating condition of our existing schools and colleges.” I support those conclusions.
“There are schools that can expand the number of places and meet the demand.”
“Joseph Leckie still has not received its full allocation since 2010 from Building Schools for the Future and needs a further upgrade to other parts of the building, Blue Coat Academy needs support to update its heating system. Other schools require funding to provide suitable recreational areas.”
“The need for a new school first arose in the Blakenall area in 2016, but the location has now been moved to the Reedswood Site. The new school will be in an area within 1.5 miles of 4 secondary schools, Bloxwich Academy, West Walsall E-ACT Academy, Blue Coat CE Academy and Willenhall E-Act Academy.”
“This does not represent value for money and in my view is an unjustified expenditure of public money. There has been no transparency as to how the Windsor Trust was awarded the contract to build the school.”
“I have tabled questions to resolve this transparency issue, and I am awaiting the answers to my written questions to the Department for Education tabled on 15 December 2025 to which I should have received a reply on 18 December 2025.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor:
1 The table below was supplied to me by Walsall MBC on 27 November 2025. The data shows that there will be a surplus of places without the ‘Free’ school:
2 Written Questions Tabled 15 December as named day to be answered 18 December 2025:
Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she used to determine which free schools should (a) be proceeded with and (b) not be proceeded with. (99790)
28N Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what evidential basis she decided to proceed with funding the Swift Academy in Walsall and Bloxwich constituency. (99791)
29N Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the allocation of funding for the Swift Academy in Walsall, which body will be (a) allocated and (b) accountable for that funding. (99792)
30N Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the £50m funding for the Swift Academy in Walsall, which other bodies applied for that funding. (99793)
31N Valerie Vaz (Walsall and Bloxwich): To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date her Department made the decision to award the contract to the Windsor Academy Trust for the Swift Academy in Walsall; and who was consulted on that decision. (99794)