No more space at Exmouth's primary schools

EXMOUTH'S PRIMARY schools are facing a shortage of space as pupil numbers increase to exceed the places available. But the crisis isn’t unique to Exmouth; it’s part of a much larger national problem...

In March, the Daily Telegraph reported that councils were suggesting that without a major cash injection some children could find themselves without local school places within the next three years. If this happens, parents could have to separate siblings or send their children on long bus journeys to schools in neighbouring boroughs. And this month another survey of 17 councils conducted by The Guardian revealed a similar picture all over the UK.

Increased birth rate

Reasons given for the impending crisis include an increase in the birth rate and the effect of the recession on the numbers of children in private education. The National Union of Teachers has accused councils of contributing to the problem by closing schools when birth rates were falling. Now, according to statistics from the Department of Education, (published in The Guardian), the number of pupils in state primary schools is projected to increase by about 14% from 3.96 million last year to 4.5 million by 2018.

None of this will come as a surprise to parents in Exmouth, where many of the town’s schools are already oversubscribed. According to figures produced by Devon County Council, the proportion of under-16s in Exmouth currently stands at 16.1%, slightly higher than the East Devon average (15.8%). And last month Tony Priest, head of the Exmouth Learning Community Group and head teacher at Lympstone Primary School, revealed that while there have already been 472 applications for primary places in Exmouth in the coming academic year, only 440 places have been planned for – leaving a shortfall of 32. Understandably Mr Priest was reported as being "seriously concerned".

Enormous strain

In practice, schools are likely to make a few extra admissions to accommodate these children, but the problem is not going to go away. It is anticipated that next year applications for new places at Exmouth’s primary schools will rise to 517, creating a potential shortfall of 65 – or the equivalent of three full classes. Such an increase would put an enormous strain on schools in terms of staffing, equipment and facilities and could well have an adverse effect on pupils’ education.

Aware of the impending crisis, last December the Government allocated an additional £800 million to help fund extra school places. However, a separate Government-commissioned review of public spending warned that: "Temporary solutions are neither cost-effective nor usually fit for purpose for anything other than a stopgap."

Commenting on the situation, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, warned that poor parents would be less likely to secure a place at their preferred primary. Parents who know the system well would be able to get their children into schools where the number of places are limited because of where they live. "This has implications for social mobility,’ he told The Guardian. "Some parents may have to send their children to less desirable schools."

• Is this situation acceptable in Devon’s largest town?
• What should be done to alleviate the current primary schools crisis?
• And how could education provision in Exmouth be improved?