Parents face an anxious wait to see if their child has got a primary school place because one in five schools are already over capacity, Labour warned today. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said many families will be left disappointed, with pupils forced to travel further or squeeze into over-crowded classrooms. Today is the deadline for applications for 380,000 children to start in September, with ministers admitting some will be offered places in schools parents cannot have confidence in. Official figures show that by 2023 there will be a total of 4.7million primary age pupils, up from 4.3million in 2014 . Parents have until midnight tonight to apply, naming at least three schools where they want to send their child. Figures collected by the Labour party suggest almost one in five primary schools does not have enough space for all its pupils. Out of 130 councils who replied to a Freedom of Information request, 18 per cent admitted they did not have enough capacity for their pupils. It means children forced to learn in makeshift classrooms, including one primary school in Northumberland holding lessons in a converted double-decker bus. More than three-quarters of councils in England said they would need more primary school places in the next three years. Writing for MailOnline, Mr Hunt said: 'As a parent there a few more anxious or exciting times. Getting your child into a good local school can feel no less a prize than securing their place in an increasingly uncertain world. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan insists the government has put funding in place for sufficient school places . For whilst there is no doubt the digital economy of the future offers tremendous opportunities, for our children to thrive in this brave new world they need the best start in life.' But he warned: 'There is one anxiety parents of the 380,000 children applying for places this year need not face. 'Because this year's primary school admissions process is complicated by a crippling shortage in places that will leave many parents disappointed.' Mr Hunt added: 'A squeeze on places doesn't just mean bigger class sizes. It also means less choice for parents and longer school commutes, placing extra pressure on family life and relationships.' This week the Local Government Association warned schools could be pushed to breaking over the next decade, with almost a million more places for pupils needed. The continuing squeeze on places could lead to a 'tipping point' where there is no money or space left to expand schools any further, the LGA claimed. But the Tories have hit back at Mr Hunt. A Conservative spokesman said: 'I don’t know what’s worse, the scaremongering or the hypocrisy. Labour slashed the funding for school places and took 200,000 primary school places out of the system. 'They did this in the middle of a baby boom and at the same time as letting immigration get out of control. 'They wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on their failed school building programme. And they presided over a drop in school standards so that under Labour one in three pupils left primary school unable to read, write and add up properly.' Official figures predict that there may be around 900,000 extra pupils in England's schools over the next decade. The Association said its own analysis had concluded that it will cost £12 billion to create enough school places for all of these children. The Government has pledged £7.35 billion so far to create more places, but the LGA argued that this still leaves a major shortfall. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan insisted money was being made available. She told Radio 4: ''We work very closely as a department with local authorities because obviously the provision of school places is absolutely right. 'It has to be the provision, obviously, of good quality school places and that's obviously why we've also had the new free schools, which is schools being set up by parents and others and 70 per cent of them being set up in areas where there is a need for more places.' She added: 'There may be places available but they may not be the places that families actually want – the school may not be good enough for parents to have confidence in. 'That's part, again, of what we've done over the last four and a half years – the standards are good enough, the quality of teaching is improved so parents have confidence so there are good schools right across the system.' Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said many families will be left disappointed, with pupils forced to travel further or squeeze into over-crowded classrooms . Forms filled; criteria analysed; open days attended; Ofsted reports scrutinised; head-teachers telephoned - now the waiting begins. Because as the clock strikes midnight tonight, the deadline passes for next year's primary school applications. As a parent there a few more anxious or exciting times. Getting your child into a good local school can feel no less a prize than securing their place in an increasingly uncertain world. For whilst there is no doubt the digital economy of the future offers tremendous opportunities, for our children to thrive in this brave new world they need the best start in life. And evidence repeatedly shows that the first few years of education are absolutely crucial to life-long success; how instilling a love of learning at an early age is the most effective way of ensuring our children fulfil their potential. We may well have become too obsessed with measuring the value of a great education in pounds and pence over the last few years. But there is no escaping the priceless nature of good schooling. However, there is one anxiety parents of the 380,000 children applying for places this year need not face. Because this year's primary school admissions process is complicated by a crippling shortage in places that will leave many parents disappointed. Statistics show that nearly one in five primary school across the country does not have enough capacity for all its pupils. Meanwhile, the number of infants in classes bigger than thirty pupils has soared by a staggering 200 per cent under the current government. Libraries, music halls, office blocks, converted buses - children are being squeezed into any space that can hold them. There are now five times as many children educated in 'titan' primary schools of more than 800 pupils. This despite a promise David Cameron made to parents back in 2010 to deliver 'smaller schools and smaller class sizes'. Clearly, overflowing classrooms, with children receiving less individual attention from their teachers, represents a serious threat to the high standards and excellence all children deserve as they begin their education. When teachers become overstretched or overworked then their performance inevitably suffers. Forty per cent of new teacher trainees leave the job within the first five years and far too many experienced teachers leave the profession altogether. Not only does this damage achievement and undermine discipline, it also creates enormous inefficiencies in our teacher training system. What is worse: it gets in the way of passing on a love of learning. But often it is the more hidden aspects of this squeeze which are the most pernicious. Playground prefab classrooms are not just a terrible environment in which to inspire young children with a thirst for knowledge and enquiry. They also mean less space for the sport and play which nurtures character and helps develop healthy lifestyles. Similarly, a squeeze on places doesn't just mean bigger class sizes. It also means less choice for parents and longer school commutes, placing extra pressure on family life and relationships. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan might be relaxed about this because it only affects - in her words - a 'very, very small' number of pupils. Never mind that the number of infants in classes bigger than 30 is actually close to 100,000, this attitude denies the broader impact upon parents lives. Ignoring, alongside great teaching in a good local school, one of the biggest factors upon children's achievement in the process. Yet the truth is this primary school places crisis was entirely avoidable. The government has spent its time in office diverting precious resources away from areas in desperate need of places, ploughing them into expensive Free School pet projects in areas where there are no shortages. Whatever anybody else feels about Free Schools, such largesse, in a time of severe public finance pressures and rising demand for places, is extraordinary. Labour will end the Free School programme and prioritise spending on providing good school places in areas that need them most. 'My school taught me to work, to read and to think. It gave me great friendships. It filled me entirely and utterly for nearly the space of seven years. Outside the cottage, I had nothing but my school; but having my school, I had everything.' All parents would want their children to feel like Sir Ernest Barker, a twentieth century principal of Kings College London, felt about his schooling. But when they open that precious National Offer Day envelope on April 16th many are sure to be disappointed. They should know that the crippling shortage in primary school places is a direct result of David Cameron's incompetence and broken promises.
Labour party warns 1 in 5 primary schools is over capacity already .
Tristram Hunt says pupils face bigger classes and longer journeys .
Deadline approaches for applying for children to start school in September .
Parents face an anxious wait to see if their child has got a primary school place because one in five schools are already over capacity, Labour warned today. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said many families will be left disappointed, with pupils forced to travel further or squeeze into over-crowded classrooms. Today is the deadline for applications for 380,000 children to start in September, with ministers admitting some will be offered places in schools parents cannot have confidence in. Official figures show that by 2023 there will be a total of 4.7million primary age pupils, up from 4.3million in 2014 . Parents have until midnight tonight to apply, naming at least three schools where they want to send their child. Figures collected by the Labour party suggest almost one in five primary schools does not have enough space for all its pupils. Out of 130 councils who replied to a Freedom of Information request, 18 per cent admitted they did not have enough capacity for their pupils. It means children forced to learn in makeshift classrooms, including one primary school in Northumberland holding lessons in a converted double-decker bus. More than three-quarters of councils in England said they would need more primary school places in the next three years. Writing for MailOnline, Mr Hunt said: 'As a parent there a few more anxious or exciting times. Getting your child into a good local school can feel no less a prize than securing their place in an increasingly uncertain world. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan insists the government has put funding in place for sufficient school places . For whilst there is no doubt the digital economy of the future offers tremendous opportunities, for our children to thrive in this brave new world they need the best start in life.' But he warned: 'There is one anxiety parents of the 380,000 children applying for places this year need not face. 'Because this year's primary school admissions process is complicated by a crippling shortage in places that will leave many parents disappointed.' Mr Hunt added: 'A squeeze on places doesn't just mean bigger class sizes. It also means less choice for parents and longer school commutes, placing extra pressure on family life and relationships.' This week the Local Government Association warned schools could be pushed to breaking over the next decade, with almost a million more places for pupils needed. The continuing squeeze on places could lead to a 'tipping point' where there is no money or space left to expand schools any further, the LGA claimed. But the Tories have hit back at Mr Hunt. A Conservative spokesman said: 'I don’t know what’s worse, the scaremongering or the hypocrisy. Labour slashed the funding for school places and took 200,000 primary school places out of the system. 'They did this in the middle of a baby boom and at the same time as letting immigration get out of control. 'They wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on their failed school building programme. And they presided over a drop in school standards so that under Labour one in three pupils left primary school unable to read, write and add up properly.' Official figures predict that there may be around 900,000 extra pupils in England's schools over the next decade. The Association said its own analysis had concluded that it will cost £12 billion to create enough school places for all of these children. The Government has pledged £7.35 billion so far to create more places, but the LGA argued that this still leaves a major shortfall. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan insisted money was being made available. She told Radio 4: ''We work very closely as a department with local authorities because obviously the provision of school places is absolutely right. 'It has to be the provision, obviously, of good quality school places and that's obviously why we've also had the new free schools, which is schools being set up by parents and others and 70 per cent of them being set up in areas where there is a need for more places.' She added: 'There may be places available but they may not be the places that families actually want – the school may not be good enough for parents to have confidence in. 'That's part, again, of what we've done over the last four and a half years – the standards are good enough, the quality of teaching is improved so parents have confidence so there are good schools right across the system.' Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said many families will be left disappointed, with pupils forced to travel further or squeeze into over-crowded classrooms . Forms filled; criteria analysed; open days attended; Ofsted reports scrutinised; head-teachers telephoned - now the waiting begins. Because as the clock strikes midnight tonight, the deadline passes for next year's primary school applications. As a parent there a few more anxious or exciting times. Getting your child into a good local school can feel no less a prize than securing their place in an increasingly uncertain world. For whilst there is no doubt the digital economy of the future offers tremendous opportunities, for our children to thrive in this brave new world they need the best start in life. And evidence repeatedly shows that the first few years of education are absolutely crucial to life-long success; how instilling a love of learning at an early age is the most effective way of ensuring our children fulfil their potential. We may well have become too obsessed with measuring the value of a great education in pounds and pence over the last few years. But there is no escaping the priceless nature of good schooling. However, there is one anxiety parents of the 380,000 children applying for places this year need not face. Because this year's primary school admissions process is complicated by a crippling shortage in places that will leave many parents disappointed. Statistics show that nearly one in five primary school across the country does not have enough capacity for all its pupils. Meanwhile, the number of infants in classes bigger than thirty pupils has soared by a staggering 200 per cent under the current government. Libraries, music halls, office blocks, converted buses - children are being squeezed into any space that can hold them. There are now five times as many children educated in 'titan' primary schools of more than 800 pupils. This despite a promise David Cameron made to parents back in 2010 to deliver 'smaller schools and smaller class sizes'. Clearly, overflowing classrooms, with children receiving less individual attention from their teachers, represents a serious threat to the high standards and excellence all children deserve as they begin their education. When teachers become overstretched or overworked then their performance inevitably suffers. Forty per cent of new teacher trainees leave the job within the first five years and far too many experienced teachers leave the profession altogether. Not only does this damage achievement and undermine discipline, it also creates enormous inefficiencies in our teacher training system. What is worse: it gets in the way of passing on a love of learning. But often it is the more hidden aspects of this squeeze which are the most pernicious. Playground prefab classrooms are not just a terrible environment in which to inspire young children with a thirst for knowledge and enquiry. They also mean less space for the sport and play which nurtures character and helps develop healthy lifestyles. Similarly, a squeeze on places doesn't just mean bigger class sizes. It also means less choice for parents and longer school commutes, placing extra pressure on family life and relationships. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan might be relaxed about this because it only affects - in her words - a 'very, very small' number of pupils. Never mind that the number of infants in classes bigger than 30 is actually close to 100,000, this attitude denies the broader impact upon parents lives. Ignoring, alongside great teaching in a good local school, one of the biggest factors upon children's achievement in the process. Yet the truth is this primary school places crisis was entirely avoidable. The government has spent its time in office diverting precious resources away from areas in desperate need of places, ploughing them into expensive Free School pet projects in areas where there are no shortages. Whatever anybody else feels about Free Schools, such largesse, in a time of severe public finance pressures and rising demand for places, is extraordinary. Labour will end the Free School programme and prioritise spending on providing good school places in areas that need them most. 'My school taught me to work, to read and to think. It gave me great friendships. It filled me entirely and utterly for nearly the space of seven years. Outside the cottage, I had nothing but my school; but having my school, I had everything.' All parents would want their children to feel like Sir Ernest Barker, a twentieth century principal of Kings College London, felt about his schooling. But when they open that precious National Offer Day envelope on April 16th many are sure to be disappointed. They should know that the crippling shortage in primary school places is a direct result of David Cameron's incompetence and broken promises.
five schools are already over capacity, Labour 380,000 children to start in September, with including one primary school in Northumberland choice for parents and longer school commutes,