primary schools

Something is fundamentally wrong in our education system when good rural schools close for want of pupils and many urban schools are too full.  Needs a radical re-look thinks I. This story tells us:

Primary school heads and local authority leaders say that the system is reaching breaking point, with councils forced to divert or borrow funds to finance the extra primary school places needed to cope with the rising birth rate.

The pressure is forcing parents in the worst-affected parts of England – London and the south-east, as well as Manchester and Birmingham – to juggle long commutes or see siblings split between different schools as the supply of school places fails to keep up with demand. The warnings come as about 600,000 families across the country wait to hear on Thursday whether their child has been given a place at their chosen primary school.

Last year, about 77,000 children – nearly one in eight – failed to get a place at their first-preference school, with about a third of those not being offered any of their named choices. This year, the effects of the rising birth rate and population movement are likely to cause those figures to rise, despite efforts by local authorities to add more classrooms – efforts that they say are hampered by government policy.