Labour warns of a shortfall of 120,000 primary places
Katy Morton
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The Labour party has warned that thousands of parents face a summer of worry because of a school places crisis created by the Government.
According to Labour, the claim by the Department for Education that local authorities will create an extra 110,000 extra primary places, will fall well short of the 230,000 places that the National Audit Office says is required.
The analysis goes on to say that the number of overcrowded infant classes has doubled and ‘bulge classrooms’ are being set up in temporary buildings not suitable for learning.
It claims that more than 72,000 children are being taught in classes of more than 30, breaching the limit Labour had in place in Government.
It also criticises the Government’s free school programme, which it says has wasted millions of pounds as capital funding is spent creating schools in surplus places.
The analysis also reveals how councils across the country have been forced to take ‘desperate measures’.
In Manchester, pupils at Ladybarn Primary School are warned not to linger over lunch. The 400 children eat in five shifts, the first sitting is at 11.15am.
In Barking and Dagenham, some primary schools are considering teaching children in shifts.
Stephen Twigg MP, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said, ‘All parents want is a good, local primary school for their child. Instead, they will have to scramble for a place. When schools start again in September, parents will see more overcrowded classes and temporary classrooms on playgrounds.
‘Labour would sort out this mess by ensuring primary schools are built when they’re needed, instead of wasting hundreds of millions building free schools in areas where there are already enough places.’
A Department for Education spokesperson said, 'The claim that there will be a shortfall of 120,000 places is based on a simplistic and totally flawed calculation that does not take into account existing surplus places. In fact, our latest survey shows that there are around 400,000 surplus primary school places across the country and we expect a further 110,000 extra places to be created by September.
'We are spending £5 billion by 2015 on creating new school places, more than double the amount spent by the previous government in the same timeframe.
'In addition nine out of ten primary free schools approved last month are in areas of basic need, and last week we announced a further £820 million to create 74,000 extra places where they are most needed.'
