London faces a shortfall of 118,000 school places by 2016
Katy Morton
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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.
The economic downturn has also led to an increasing number of families deciding to remain within the capital that previously might otherwise have moved outside of London.
These factors have meant that the pupil growth rate in London is increasing at twice the rate than the national average. According to London Councils, by 2016/17 pupil numbers will have increased by 118,000, the equivalent of 17 per cent over five years. Nationally, this compares to an increase of 565,000 or 8 per cent.
The report goes on to say that long term financial planning is key to meeting demand for places and that existing schools will need to be expanded and new schools built prior to the growth in pupil numbers.
However, London Councils warns that over time all feasible options for expansions and conversions will eventually be exhausted, while building new schools is not simple as there is a lack of space and London has higher land and building costs than the rest of the country.
The think tank and lobbying organisation concludes that London needs decisive action by the Government to meet the huge pressure on school places and to avert what is in danger of becoming a prolonged and chronic shortage of places. It recommends that the Government:
- Acknowledge the unprecedented pressure faced by London boroughs and deliver full and fair funding to support councils to meet this challenge.
- Recognise the unique nature of London context in building and extending school places and ensure that this is reflected in future funding allocations.
The analysis by London Councils follows research published in March by the National Audit Office, which revealed that 240,000 new primary school places are needed by 2014/15.
