The boss of the Department for Education鈥檚 property arm LocatED is set to step down from the role, as the body prepares to be brought in-house. Lara Newman, its CEO, has announced she will take 鈥渙n a new challenge鈥� when the company gets absorbed into government next month. Launched nine years ago to procure sites for new free schools, the firm鈥檚 work was extended to acquiring and selling sites on DfE鈥檚 behalf and providing 鈥渁n expert commercial property consultancy service鈥� to officials and leaders. ‘New challenge’ Posting on LinkedIn, Newman said: 鈥淎fter nearly a decade, I’m leaving LocatED. 鈥淚 won’t be joining the team as they transfer to DfE on April 1 鈥� instead, I’ll be taking on a new challenge that I’m not quite ready to share the details of yet.鈥� Lara Newman The decision to move LocatED into the department came after the Cabinet Office launched a review of all arm鈥檚 length bodies across government earlier this year. DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood previously said it would help ministers 鈥渕anage and transform the education estate, make it sustainable, give great value to the taxpayer, and support excellent outcomes for children and young people鈥�. 尝辞肠补迟贰顿鈥檚 state it 鈥済enerated important capital receipts, delivered substantial savings to the public purse and is at the heart of delivering programmes to enable our schools to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions鈥�. In her post, Newman added: 鈥淲e delivered. Schools built, sites found, estates managed, complex land transactions completed that others had written off as impossible. ‘Punching above its weight’ 鈥淪ometimes unglamorous, technically difficult work that rarely makes headlines but genuinely changes communities. I couldn’t be prouder of it all.鈥� She also noted that LocatED 鈥減unches well above its weight in improving accessibility to the profession and creating genuine career pathways鈥�. She pointed to its apprenticeship and graduate programmes, which 鈥渙pened doors for people who might otherwise have found the property profession a rather unwelcoming place鈥�. Accounts show LocatED was given a budget of just over 拢9 million in 2024-25. Around 拢2.2 million was spent on 鈥減roject related pre-acquisition costs for sites [and] mixed-use developments鈥�. A further 拢5.4 million went towards employee costs. Newman was paid between 拢220,000 and 拢225,000. She was handed between 拢40,000 and 拢45,000 in performance-related pay. Her wages eclipse those of Acland-Hood, who took home 拢180,000 to 拢185,000 last year.