The school places challenge is most certainly on. Our latest research reveals the rising number of pupils in primary and secondary schools could require over 24,000 extra classrooms – the equivalent of more than 2,000 new schools – to be built within the next four years.

Councils are expecting to see an additional 729,000 primary and secondary school pupils by 2020, which, paired with the news of the Government's preference for all schools to be academies or free schools, puts pressure on those tasked with planning and building new schools.