Nursery World - London faces a shortfall of 118,000 school places by 2016

Analysis by London Councils, based on Department for Education figures, shows demand for permanent school places in London will increase by almost a third in a single academic year, with the pressure for places most acute in primary schools.

While other areas face shortages, it says that the pressure on school places is at its highest in London, with a shortfall of 42 per cent of places.

Despite this, London has only been allocated 36 per cent of funding for school places for 2013-15 by the Department for Education, leaving a shortfall of close to £1.4 billion to ensure that every pupil in London has a school place up to 2016.

It is believed that the significant rise in demand for school places particularly in London is due to population growth, specifically the recent baby boom, and the increasing standards of education in the capital.

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