Net capacity for schools

A school’s net capacity is the number of children it can reasonably accommodate.

For primary and secondary schools, capacity figures are calculated using the

How net capacity is calculated

The calculation looks at:

the floor space of teaching areas
how each space is used, such as general classrooms, practical rooms or laboratories

This information is used to work out how many pupils the school can accommodate. The calculation also takes account of the school’s Published Admission Number (PAN).

This is explained in the measuring school capacity summary guide for local authorities (PDF, 200KB)

Primary and secondary schools

For primary schools, net capacity is based on the number and size of spaces designated as class bases.

For secondary schools, it is based on:

the number of time‑tabled teaching spaces
the size and type of those spaces
the age range of the school

In both cases, the result is checked against the school’s total usable floor space.

Schools where net capacity does not apply

Net capacity assessments do not apply to:

nursery schools
pupil referral units

For these settings, the relevant DfE Building Bulletin should be used to assess space requirements.

Net capacities for special schools are collected through the annual School

Academies

For academies, capacity is based on the number of places agreed in the school’s funding agreement.

The net capacity calculation is still applied to ensure consistency across the school estate.

The Net Capacity Assessment programme

From 2023 to 2025, the DfE’s Net Capacity Assessment (NCA) programme will provide accurate and up-to-date information on pupil capacity for every government-funded secondary school and special school in England.

As part of this work, the HMRC Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is visiting around 4,500 schools in England to collect data on pupil capacity.

The Valuation Office Agency will:

measure rooms
record room types
use the NCA tool and methodology to calculate how many children a school can accommodate, based on how spaces are sized and used