1st May 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
New data has revealed that the recent baby boom has left many children in England without primary school places. The pressure in London is particularly profound, with almost one in 5 families missing out on their first choice of primary school. Although local authorities have been increasing the number of primary school places, the baby boom has meant that parents are often unable to get their children into the school of their choice. In some areas of London, 15% of applicants last year were not admitted to any of their six choices of schools, meaning that some students have had to start school a year late. London has seen a 3% increase in the number of primary school applicants over just one year.
For those children who were not admitted to any of their parents’ chosen schools, the outlook is particularly bleak. Some parents have reported being allocated schools many miles away from their homes, causing considerable transport difficulties, especially where parents have two children attending different schools. Others are having to wait, being held back a year while they linger on the waiting list for their local primary. Parents are raising concerns over the number of free schools being opened in areas where there are no shortage of places, whilst in other areas children are not able to go to school due to lack of available primary slots.
The government has said that the London’s admissions system is very proficient, but that in some areas it was impossible to create places where schools are already at capacity. Local authorities are busy trying to coordinate with primary schools to ensure that each child has a school place in September, but with the rising demand this may not be possible. The shadow education secretary has criticised the government for failing to provide school places for every child, particularly given that they are sanctioning the opening of schools in areas where there is less need. He pointed out that whilst the government promised smaller class sizes in 2010, the reality is that there are now more than double the number of infants in classes of more than 30.