Primary school place appeals rise

22 June 2011 Last updated at 15:07 GMT Many children face tough competition for places in popular schools The number of parents appealing against primary-school admissions decisions in England has risen 10%, amid rising class sizes and pressure on places.

Some 42,000 families challenged primary schools for failing to give them places in 2009-10, compared with 38,000 the previous year, official figures show.

Infant class sizes also rose, as did the proportions of pupils receiving free meals and from ethnic minorities.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said parents were unhappy with the lack of choice.

Appeals against place allocations in state primary schools have risen year on year for the past five years.

More than 5% of all school-place decisions were contested in 2009-10 - compared with just 2.7% in 2005-6.

There was also a rise in the proportion of successful appeals - up to 16.1% from 15.8% a year ago.

However, the number of appeals over secondary school places dropped, from 50,000 to 43,000.

Data also published on Wednesday showed the biggest rise in five years in the proportion of infant classes with more than 30 pupils - up to 2.5% from 1.8% in 2010.

'Pressure on places'

There is a legal limit of 30 pupils, except in certain exceptional circumstances.

In January 2011, when the schools' census was taken, nearly 10,000 pupils were being taught in classes unlawfully above the limit.

The census also showed the proportion of children in state schools eligible for - and claiming - free school meals was at its highest in five years, at 18% - up from 16% in 2007.

The proportion of children from ethnic minorities has also grown, from 25.5% to 26.5% in primary schools, and from 21.4 to 22.2% in secondary schools.

The data also showed that nearly a million school pupils in England do not have English as their first language.

The proportion of such children has risen from 16% to 16.8% in the last year in state primary schools, and 11.6% to 12.3% in secondaries.

The total number of primary school children has risen slightly, while the secondary school cohort has declined.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "It is clear that rising birth rates are increasing demand and pressure on primary places, with more parents unhappy with the lack of choice open to them.

"The education system has rationed places in good schools for too long," he said.

He added that the government was encouraging the setting up of scores of free schools, turning around the weakest 200 primaries and allowing popular schools to expand, while targeting capital investment where new school places were most needed.

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Lambeth in school place warning

18 May 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT Lambeth Council predicts it will run out of primary school places by 2015 A south London council has warned it cannot guarantee a primary school place for every child in the borough by 2015.

Lambeth Council said the demand for school places has risen by 40% in the past four years in some areas and it would need 800 extra places by 2015.

The authority is asking residents to write to the government over its plea for ?50m funding over two years.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it had given ?800m to local authorities for additional places for 2011/12.

The council has received ?40m from the government since 2006, for primary school places, and another ?12m for 2011/12.

The money went into creating 11 permanent and 13 temporary facilities and 300 additional places since 2009, but it will need to find funds for another 800 additional places by 2015.

'Sticking plaster'

The council said it had spent ?500 in printing 5,000 pamphlets, which have been distributed to nurseries and libraries, to gather public support for the campaign.

Peter Robbins, Lambeth's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Our schools are full to the brim. We have already added as many temporary classrooms as we have space for but now we need proper investment to permanently expand schools.

"To help us make the desperately needed space, we are asking the government to provide ?50m investment over two years.

"Our argument is clear, if we don't get funding, the alternative is to build so-called bulge classes. This approach is an expensive and temporary sticking plaster over the problem."

A DfE spokesman said: "The government, in a tight capital settlement for 2011-12, prioritised basic need to support the provision of additional pupil places, including doubling the amount allocated to local authorities to ?800m. This has been targeted at areas predicting the greatest increases.

"However, the management and allocation will be informed by the James Review, which is aimed at ensuring that best value for money is achieved and that the maximum number of pupils benefit from the available funding."

London Councils, which represents the city's 32 boroughs, said the shortage of places is an issue across the capital.

"The shortage of school places across the capital has become critical with a predicted shortfall of around 70,000 over the next four years," it said.

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