Surrey school places shortfall

[DebbieFiderer]

I've just seen this on BBC News; Surrey County Council say they may not be able to find enough places next year ; is this a bit of PR (highlighting funding issues, managing expectations so parents are happy just to get a place), or could they genuinely not give some children any place at all? I'm not too worried personally as DD2 will get sibling priority at a relatively undersubscribed, not highly rated school that we are actually happy with, but it is still shocking that it can get to this point.

I suspect its true. Last year's Reception had a huge number of unplaced children at the start of the year in Surrey. Not sure how they managed to place them all in the end. More children are being pulled out of private education because their parents can no longer afford the fees. Surrey probably has a disproportionately large number of children in private, so the effect is magnified.

Yes, the article says they managed to place them all by the skin of their teeth, but they did manage. But if they don't manage it this year, how can they reconcile that with their legal obligation to provide an education for every child?

Its difficult because they're never really sure exactly how many places they need.

A lot of people apply for State and Private schools at the same time. Sometimes its because the chance of getting their preferred State school is slim and the private is a back up, others because some private schools are selective and they're not sure their children will get in when they have to do the State application, or they have a place but they are reliant on a bursary and they won't know how large a bursary they qualify for until much later, or with young children they are still making their minds up as to what point they will go private. A lot of these parents just don't bother notifying the school or authority that they aren't taking the place. All these places suddenly become vacant at the beginning of the year when these children head off to their private school.

It is pleaing for extra money. Several schools have already increased in size, then there are the new free schools. Every child will have to be given a place, Surrey is just telling the government now - that this may mean classes with more than 30 pupils.
But it could be that on offer day that some children do not receive an offer, although the LA will have to offer one soon after.

Scaremongering, it is same every year . There are always places at "less desirable" schools so it generally sorts itself out in the end . A couple of schools have expanded and/or taken bulge classes in the past , so once those have worked through they can do so again.

Yes, that's what I thought, that they will have to find the places in the end. Seems ridiculous though that they have to play this game of teetering on the edge, so unfair on the kids who will be left waiting for a place.

They put in bulge classes. If there is a school with a playground there is space for a porta cabin.

Dh is a governor and got the admissions numbers through recently for last September. In our area most were full, but there were two that were definitely not, by some way.

But they aren't saying they will put in bulge classes (which they do every year), they are saying they can't afford to, or at least not enough to meet the demand.

Bulge classes aren't an ideal fix though, you have an extra large year lvl that can be problematic to look after all the way through, sibling priority will mean local children don't get places etc.

I read an article in the local paper about this. One of the problems is that the school place planning is based on the birth rate but the penny has finally dropped at SCC that loads of families are moving out from London and they need school places.

Not quite sure where the bulge classes will go as in the surrey town where I live most schools have been bulged so much they are about to burst!!

Not helpful I know but SCC are shambolic

Agree, magpie. At least the schools near me have permanently increased their intake in the last couple of years, but all are still full. An application for an all through (primary to secondary) free school was rejected, there don't seem to be any plans for any further provision, despite a closed school site sitting abandoned.

That should say at least three schools, not the schools.

You wonder why they give planning permission for large housing developments and then moan about not enough school places.
In my Surrey town a plethora of new apartments have gone up in the last 5 years and because house prices are so high many families are living in these.
SCC have been incompetent for a number of years saying that these types of developments would be occupied by singles/couples and therefore decided not to increase primary school provision.
It's exactly the same when trying to get a doctor's appointment. No new doctor's surgeries, so more people register with the existing ones meaning no appointments available a lot of the time.

Yep, it's all about housing with no thought for infrastructure :(

What they don't say is that there are many good, small, village schools in the area that are suffering from all the bulge classes and expansions. Not all schools are full to the brim.

Unfortunately the money given by developers as an Education contribution is not in anyway ringfenced and ends up in the Council's general pot of money.