Analysis: Lack of classroom space will impact on EYFS

The Government is allocating £300m to fund an extra 15,000 primary school places in England to cope with severe shortages caused by the baby boom and the recession. But while the funding pledge from children's secretary Ed Balls was £100m more than had been anticipated, hard-pressed councils have already warned that the award is nowhere near enough.

London Councils, the umbrella group for the capital's authorities, says that on the latest estimates there will be a shortfall of more than 50,000 places in London alone over the next seven years. Accommodating all these children in permanent classrooms would cost about £880m.

Councils are coping by using temporary classrooms or 'bulging' classes - allocating more than 30 children to a class with an extra teacher. Early years specialists worry that these stop-gap solutions could impact on the Early Years Foundation Stage, as children might have insufficient space to learn through play.

How has the crisis arisen, given that councils should be able to plan their education provision even with the baby boom, which is at its highest levels since 1991?

Jo Mennell, London Councils' head of local government finance, says the key difference has been the rapid rise in the retention rate - the percentage of children born in a borough who join its reception classes.

'Normally, a borough might have 75 to 80 per cent of the children born in the borough requiring reception places. Since the recession and the slowdown in the housing market, the retention rates have risen as London has experienced the lowest outward migration rates since the 1990s.

'In some authorities the retention rate is around 95 per cent, and for some it is 100 per cent as there has been an net inflow. Changes in retention rates happened quite quickly. In one authority it rose 15 per cent in 18 months.

'Authorities do not like "bulging" classes, but if there are a handful of children too many, they sometimes have a class that is more than 30, which requires two teachers - which is expensive. Authorities do not like doing this. They would not want to compromise a child's education.

'They maybe use temporary classrooms or put a class in the library. These are choices authorities do not want to make. Some are having to think about splitting siblings at primary school. Where the problems are greatest, they will be having to build new schools.'

Political angle

With a General Election just months away, some Labour constituencies fared especially well in the funding. Sixteen London authorities are getting £140m of the extra funding and £24.3m is going to Birmingham. Barking and Dagenham council, where former children's minister Margaret Hodge is facing a challenge from the BNP leader Nick Griffin, is to receive £18m, while just £3m is going to the Liberal Democrat stronghold of Richmond, one of the worst-affected boroughs in the country.

'There is an election coming,' says Malcolm Eady, Richmond council's cabinet member for children's services. 'In a way I would have been surprised if they hadn't done that. We suffer when Labour are in power and we suffer when the Conservatives are in power.

'We have suddenly seen the birth rate in the borough go up by 12.5 per cent, which means more reception classes because we are already running full (see box). We have also seen a huge switch from the private to the state sector. We have the top-performing primary schools and know that families living in south and west London, who are looking to move, will come to Richmond because it has the best schools.

'To add an extra form entry on a primary school - to build the classroom, with the architect's fees and the builders, costs about £6m, and we need to add ten. To get funding for only half one form is very disappointing.

'As we know, the Government is broke. But we will provide these places. The reason we have the best schools is we have the best head teachers. They would only take these children if they could successfully educate them.'

Places and spaces

But Trisha Maynard, professor of early childhood studies at Swansea University and chair of the early years group TACTYC, warns, 'One of the dangers is children are going to lose outdoor play space at a time when everybody is waking up to the significance of movement and play and its impact on young children's learning. The other problem is that classrooms might become too small and restricted.

'Children need space if they are going to have a curriculum that embraces child-led learning. They need the space to be able to select resources and materials and to move around, to problem-solve, collaborate and play. There has to be room to create a stimulating environment - it has to be space-rich if it is going to be effective.'

The National Day Nurseries Association has been arguing that nurseries have the capacity to meet the growing demand for places. As Claire Schofield, NDNA director of policy, membership and communications, says, 'They deliver the EYFS, and in addition they are geared towards the needs of young children in terms of providing a rich play-based curriculum and in being able to offer a suitable environment. Studies show that remaining in a nursery environment can be very beneficial for young children, and the pressure on schools means that, more than ever, it is vital that local authorities and parents understand it is a real option.'

But Pat Broadhead, professor of playful learning at Leeds Metropolitan University, says, 'We can't just presume the PVI sector can provide sufficient space and sufficient outdoor space. Maybe they will just have to build more schools in our big cities.

'Putting up temporary classrooms reduces the play space available for children. A lot of inner-city schools were built in the Victorian era and often have limited play space to begin with. If this is eradicated with the addition of temporary classrooms, the children do not have sufficient play space, whatever their age, and they will become frantic.

'When you cram children together you get behavioural problems because they are stressed. We all need our territory. It could change the potential of the EYFS to enable children to learn through playful experience.'

She has been undertaking research observing the way young children need to move around as part of their thinking process and warns, 'If we stop children moving, we are stopping them thinking - I am beginning to think it is as powerful as that.'

CASE STUDY

Orleans Infants School, Richmond, normally has a three-form entry, but it took in an extra class of 30 children two years ago and again in September 2009. It will be doing so again in September 2010, says head teacher Pip Utting.

'We are now 60 over capacity, with 373 children in the school, but we try to keep a small-school feeling although we are growing. We know the children and know their individual needs.

'Two years ago the local authority put in a demountable classroom as close as possible to the other reception classes and their lovely outdoor area so the children can freely access the outdoors.

'We were careful to make sure there would be enough space, as the governors were concerned for the existing children and making sure they had enough space, for example in the playground and in the hall.

'This September we took in another extra class. We had our ICT suite converted into a classroom and the local authority provided us with a laptop trolley that can be taken around the school. Now we have a new classroom and state-of-the art equipment.

'I have taken on extra office staff because there are 60 more children and their parents to look after. We have new teachers and extra teaching assistants. We have had the ladies' loos refurbished and we have some new loos for the children, so our facilities have been improved.

'We have been able to serve the members of our community who were frantic that their children might not be placed locally. What has happened is that Richmond schools are performing well. Parents who might have had one or two children and moved out are now building an extension and staying put.

'We have the space, but I think for a school that was tight on space, it would be a logistical nightmare. We have to be pro-active. For example, for our Christmas performance this year we have Cast A and Cast B, as we could not have all the children and all the parents comfortably in the hall. It would be too much of a struggle to see. Instead of three or four performances we have had six.'