Now primary schools face crisis over places

THOUSANDS of children will not get into their first-choice primary school this autumn because of a severe shortage of places, research revealed yesterday.

NO ROOM Children are being told there aren t any places for them at school NO ROOM: Children are being told there aren't any places for them at school

Many children face being told there is no place for them in any school.

Critics last night blamed the Government for underestimating the pressure on the education system caused by population growth, largely driven by rising immigration.

Competition is said to be so intense in the worst-hit urban areas that many families will have to accept their second, third or even fourth choice school.

It could mean that youngsters will have to travel several miles to get to school.

Almost a third of councils across England say they are struggling to cope with demand, with many having to create more places by building temporary classrooms.

The Tories reacted angrily to the study yesterday. Shadow Schools Secretary Michael Gove said: “The Government must ensure that there are enough places for primary school pupils in September.

“It would be a tragedy if their policy of reducing surplus places led to children missing out on their first years of schooling. Ministers urgently need to assess whether there is enough provision available.”

The problem has been blamed on rising birth rates and, in some areas, sharp increases in the immigrant population.

The recession has also forced a number of hard-pressed middle-class parents to take their children out of private schools and send them to state schools.

Population growth think tank Migrationwatch said that mass immigration was having an increasing impact on the schools system.

Population figures show the national birth rate has increased by 17 per cent since 2001, partly due to higher birth rates in immigrant communities.

Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green said: “Nearly a quarter of all births in England and Wales are to mothers born overseas. In Greater London it is nearly 50 per cent.

“Obviously, immigration is a significant factor in pressure on schools.”

A total of 130 out of 150 English education authorities responded to the survey about the availability of primary school places in September.

Of those 53 said applications were higher this year than they were in 2008 and 38 of those were concerned about the high demand. Many were attempting to respond to the pressure by building temporary classrooms.

In Bristol, about 300 children were left without a place at any of their preferred primary schools when the first round of offers was made in February. However most have now been found a place.

Councils in London recently reported a shortage of 2,250 places for this September, a figure predicted to exceed 5,000 next year. Some 25 out of 33 boroughs face a shortage.

James Kempton, Liberal Democrat leader of Islington Council in north London, said: “Boroughs are doing their best with temporary classrooms, putting more than 30 pupils in classes with extra staff.

“Contingency plans are as good as we can get them but we can’t guarantee they will cover every child. They are not going to go away and it becomes progressively harder.”

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: “Local authorities have a duty to make sure that every child of compulsory school age has a suitable school place.

“Schools in England have had a rise in funding from £700million a year to over £7billion. We have already agreed and allocated funding for schools for the next three years based on pupil projections by local authorities.”

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