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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London primary to fund boarding

20 May 2011 Last updated at 14:53 GMT An old school building on the Sussex site is to be renovated as a new state boarding school The government has committed ?17m to help an inner London primary school to offer its pupils free places at a new state boarding school in Sussex.

Students from the Durand Academy in Lambeth would stay at the secondary school in Sussex from Monday to Friday.

The trust running the primary school bought the 20-acre Sussex school site for ?3.4m last year, using income from a gym and flats on its London site.

It comes as Lambeth council is struggling to provide primary places.

Durand Academy, which has a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, plans to open a new junior school on its site in Stockwell, south London, in 2012.

It also hopes to open a boarding school in Sussex, which students would attend from the age of 13, in 2014.

'Transform opportunities'

Under the plan, pupils would be driven out to the leafy Sussex site on Monday morning, and return on Friday afternoon.

A trust connected to the school manages the income from a gym and some flats on its London site, and says it will pay for the construction of the junior school and accommodation for sixth form boarders, as well as the boarding costs of pupils.

The Department for Education's ?17.34m, which will be spread over four years, will fund the construction of the boarding school's main teaching and accommodation building.

Durand Academy head teacher Greg Martin said the project would "transform life opportunities for children and families from Stockwell's estates".

"We will offer an extended school day combining academic rigour with music, drama and sports in a rural environment," he said.

The school says it also hopes to gain some income from use of the boarding school's sports facilities and grounds, and rentals of its premises during school holidays.

'Policy priorities'

The Department for Education said the money came from a portion of the schools capital budget dedicated to "policy priorities" such as free schools and academies.

Schools capital funding as a whole is being cut by 60% between 2010-11 and 2014-5.

"The poorest children are too often left behind because of weak schools and lack of opportunity. This unique and pioneering project, led by one of London's best primary schools, will give disadvantaged pupils the type of education previously reserved for the rich," a DfE spokesman said.

It comes days after Lambeth Council warned that it could not guarantee a primary school place for every child in the borough by 2015.

It is calling on parents to back its plea to the government for ?50m additional funding over the next two years, on top of ?56m it has received since 2006.

Without this extra funding, it warned it would have to cram more classes onto school sites "already full to the brim".

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

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