The London Assembly’s education panel questioned experts about the provision of school places after the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that a “dramatic” rise in the number of children entering the education system could see some parts of the country with nearly twice as many pupils as places by 2015.
Frankie Sulke, executive director for children and young people at Lewisham Council, told the panel that local authorities have been planning for the rise in demand for primary school places but an “enormous shortfall” in funding makes expansion “challenging”.
She said: “This is not a surprise. The planning that has been done across London is something we can all be really proud of. The crisis is not being taken by surprise – the inadequacy of funding is what makes it a crisis."
Sulke said the government’s estimates on the amount it costs to create a new school place "are wildly inadequate for London".
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