Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the former Skerton High School site is used for educational purposes.

The Department has no information as to what the local council propose to do with this closed school site. Should the local council wish to use the site for non educational purposes there is legislation in place to protect against the disposal of school land used for education. The local council are required to seek the consent of the Secretary of State before disposing or changing the use of school land.

Schedule 1 to the Academies Act 2010 requires consent where any school land has been used by a maintained school within the last eight years and Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 requires consent to be obtained for school playing field land used by (or for) a maintained school within the last 10 years.

We have not received any application from Lancashire County Council seeking consent to dispose of the former Skerton High School site. Further information about the protection of school land can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-land-and-property-protection-transfer-and-disposal.