8th May 2009
By David Williams
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has acknowledged the critical shortage of primary school places, saying officials are looking at ways of remedying the situation.
Councils in urban areas across England have been appealing for more funding following a 16.8% rise in the national birth rate over the past five years. Their pleas had been ignored by ministers and the DCSF, which told local education authorities to work within their 2008–2011 Spending Review allocation.
But a letter leaked to Public Finance suggests the department is beginning to address the issue.
Karen McGarry, of the DCSF school organisation unit, wrote: ‘Ministers are aware of the pressure many authorities… are facing in providing sufficient primary school places to meet demand arising from the unexpected rise in birth rates and other demographic changes.
‘They are taking all representations very seriously, and have asked officials to look at what additional funding is available to assist those authorities with the greatest need.
‘The priority in the short term is to ensure every child has a school place in the current Spending Review period. We anticipate that we will have a clearer idea about the level of funding available in the next two to three weeks.’
The letter, dated April 28, is addressed to Pat Stannard, chair of governors at the stretched Woodside School in Waltham Forest, east London. It goes on to say that officials will look at how basic need ‘safety valve’ funding can be used to meet the projected growth in pupil numbers.
Yet the department will still not publicly admit there is a problem, answering enquiries only with a cover-all statement stressing the £7bn invested in school building and emphasising councils’ duty to educate every child of school age.
Stannard said the department appeared to be changing position. ‘It’s exactly what we’d hoped for,’ she said. ‘At last someone appears to be taking this seriously.’
London Councils estimated that the capital is more than 2,000 reception places short, a figure expected to rise to more than 18,000 by 2014.
Other authorities reporting difficulties include Slough Borough Council, whose birth rate has risen by 32% in five years, and Birmingham City Council, which is forecasting a shortfall of 1,000 reception class places by 2014.
