Are there plenty of places in primary schools at the moment ?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I heared a nursery teacher saying that there are more spaces available in primary schools at the moment.
With the credit crunch and baby boom, I don't see how this can be right. She said she read it in te paper.
Has anyone else heard this ?

Apparently 2002 to 2005 there was a lull in the birth rates everywhere. It's now gone through the roof and i fully exect to have to pay for the one we're hoping to have next year.

2001 was a low but it's been pretty steadily up since then and the current Reception entrants were born on the upswing.

Most infant schools round my way seem to have spaces, but I guess they are all rural and therefore fighting for pupils to make sure they stay open so you all obviously need to move to be near me.

We are quite rural too. So maybe that's why then. Our local schools are all small.

Two of our local schools added bulge classes this year, (so another 30 children each) so this area is actually fine - the school DD has just moved from (reception) wasn't full.

We are full this year and already over subscribed for next year

Gosh, are your LEA's primary apps due in this early, mrz?

We are full with a waiting list this year, but we won't find out about next year until Jan/Feb.
Have had to submit my ds's app this year, it feels very strange being on the other side of the fence! Haven't put our school down though - we live near good schools, and although I rate ours, I would never be able to not interefere, so we didn't even consider it.

No the final lists won't be out until Jan so we don't know who will be successful as we already have more children/parents request us as first choice than places available.

I think our borough in London had to open up 9 more reception classes or something so I would dissagree with you sons nursery teacher!

I think it varies by year and by area.

Schools are very over-subscribed here in East London. A classmate of DS's waited for a reception place from mid-Oct (when they moved into the area) to Easter before her parents gave up and went independent. All the schools had a waiting list of about 10. Apparently entry to reception was just as over-subscribed this year.