DfE reassured us that, when selecting schools for the School Rebuilding Programme, it considers the likely future pattern of pupil numbers, to avoid prioritising schools that are struggling to attract pupils and therefore do not warrant a full rebuild.65 It also emphasised that, ideally, there should be more school places than children, to allow some parental choice in the system and to accommodate demographic rises. It explained that the free schools programme exists partly to give entry to those who have different ideas about how schools might be run, and also to offer that wider range of choice in the system.66 64 July 2023 session, Q 28 65 July 2023 session, Q 29 66 July 2023 session, Qq 32–33 The condition of school buildings 21