LocatED | Schools Week

LocatED chief to depart as DfE prepares to absorb property firm

CEO announces she will take on ‘new challenge’ when the government-backed company moves into the department

LocatED: DfE to absorb property firm and ‘unify’ teams

Decision comes after government launched review of all arm’s length bodies

DfE officials ‘concerned’ over school building impact of Grenfell bans

Warning government action against firms could hit ‘every’ school project, amid ‘concerning’ DfE emails

‘Build up’ school scheme shelved (but £180k spent)

Ambitious project earmarked for London school on hiatus due to planning requirements and market conditions

DfE property firm’s boss got £30k bonus, despite missed value-for-money target

The boss of the Department for Education’s property company received a £30,000 bonus last year, despite the organisation missing one of its key targets. Accounts for LocatED, a company set up by the government to find land for new free schools, show Lara Newman received a bonus payment of between £30,000 and £35,000 in 2018-19, […]

Empty free school sites will be rented to property guardians

Empty buildings snapped up for future free schools will be rented out as housing for young professionals. Company accounts for LocatEd, set up by the government to find sites for new free schools, reveal plans to introduce more property guardian schemes in “appropriate vacant properties” to make affordable living space available to the rental market. […]

LocatEd expands remit to include ‘site optimisation’

A company set up by the government to find and buy sites for the free schools programme will now advise academies on how to “optimise” their sites. The government is “broadening the remit of LocatED to provide more advice to multi-academy trusts on how to optimise your sites”, according to Lord Agnew, the minister for […]

DfE property company considers onsite housing for teachers

The government-backed company tasked with buying sites for new schools is looking at providing housing for teachers in new developments, its chief executive has revealed. Lara Newman (pictured below) has told an event in London that LocatED is “in the very early stages” of developing onsite housing for teachers at schools in some areas, though there […]