Primary schools lose outdoor space to provide more places

The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Labour MP Margaret Hodge, claims in a new report that in the ‘rush to deliver sufficient places, local authorities may have to make decisions that affect the quality of education on offer.’

Department for Education figures, based on May 2012 data, revealed that an extra 256,000 primary and secondary school places are needed by September 2014.

However, the PAC argues that the rising demand for places is already causing pressure on schools in some areas.

It says that 76 per cent of local authorities have converted non-classroom space into classrooms and 64 per cent have reduced playground space. In some cases, schools have lost music rooms and libraries to create extra classrooms.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee warns that the loss of non-classroom space can affect schools’ ability to deliver aspects of the curriculum, in particular the Early Years Foundation Stage which requires access to outdoor space.

It also says that some authorities may have no choice but to expand poorly performing schools if places are required in that area.

According to the committee, 94 per cent of authorities reported that uncertainty over future funding levels is a major constraint to the way they can deliver new primary places. The report says that this uncertainty may have resulted in a ‘piecemeal approach’ to planning.

The committee also criticises the DfE for being too slow to respond to an increase in need for school places.

It argues that despite the birth rate beginning to increase in 2001, it was not until 2008 that the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which the department relies on for data, reflected the rising birth rate in its population projections.

The report makes a number of recommendations to the Department for Education including:

• Calling for the Department to work with the ONS, Department of health and local authorities to model different scenarios in order to manage emerging demand better in primary and secondary schools.

• Setting out how it plans to use its new information on school places to ensure that capital funding is given to local authorities that have the greatest need for extra places.

• Clarifying how it will support and challenge local authorities and show that value for money is being achieved.

• Developing more realistic assumptions about the level of financial contribution authorities can be expected to make to deliver school places, taking in to account the wider financial challenges authorities face.

Margaret Hodge, the committee's chair, said, ‘More than 250,000 new school places are needed by September 2014, but the Department for Education (DfE) does not know whether the £5 billion it is contributing will be enough to pay for them or even spent to best effect.

‘The Department failed to identify in time the rising demand for school places.  Without enough resources to provide new places, some authorities are forced to sacrifice facilities like music rooms or expand classes beyond the statutory 30 children per class.

‘The DfE believes that the money it is contributing for new school places will cover all the costs. But, in 2012-13, nearly 65 per cent of authorities were having to dip into their maintenance funding to pay for the extra places, storing up unknown maintenance costs for the future.

‘What is also being lost in all of this is the effect that different ways of providing new places might have on pupils’ learning. It does not take much imagination to realise that educational opportunities and standards might be diminished if specialist areas, such as music rooms and libraries, are converted into classrooms, poorly performing schools expanded, or playgrounds used to house children in overcrowded demountables.’