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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Sally Weale Education correspondent

Pupil numbers in England set to shrink by almost 1 million in 10 years

Primary school class
Primary school pupils in Oldham, England, 2020. The entire school population is expected to fall from 7,859,000 this year to 6,915,000 by 2032. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty

England’s school population is set to shrink by almost a million children over the next 10 years, according to the government’s latest data, raising the prospect of surplus places and school closures in some areas of the country in the years ahead.

Department for Education figures reveal that predicted pupil numbers, already in marked decline according to earlier modelling, have had to be revised down further in line with projections of fewer births than expected.

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