Primary schools can expect £200m boost

An extra £200 million of government funding is expected to be released this week to primary schools struggling with rising admissions.

The Department for Children Schools and Families hopes that the money will provide new primary places in areas such as London and the West Midlands, where schools are suffering shortages, those looking for local teaching jobs may be interested to read.

Rising birth rates and the recession were blamed for the shortage in a report earlier this year by London Councils. Fewer parents are now opting to send their children to private schools, the report said.

A spokesperson for the DCSF said that while some councils did not plan for the shortages despite warnings, others are facing "exceptional rises in demand" that could not have been anticipated.

The news follows recommendations made by London Councils in April this year.

The lobby group for local authorities said that London's boroughs alone would need £740 million over the next five years to ensure that every five-year-old would be guaranteed a place at school.

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