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Competition is so intense that many families will have to accept their second, third or even fourth choice school

“Fears grow that there will not be enough primary provision to cover the likely number of children needing a school place in September,” said Conservative School spokesman, Nick Gibb for BBC News.

The number of children aged five to seven in classes bigger than the legal limit of 30 has risen to 10,010, more than double the 2007 figure of 4,280

Several London MPs recently raised the matter in the House of Commons and the body which represents London Councils is lobbying the government to address the problem. The research group suggests that during this financial year alone more than 2,250 children will be without a Reception class place. “This fear is not confined to London,” said Julia Llewellyn Smith, writing in The Sunday Telegraph: “Two thirds of Local Authorities have reported a surge in primary school applications.”

The number of children aged five to seven in classes bigger than the legal limit of 30 has risen to 10,010, more than double the 2007 figure of 4,280.

“Competition is so intense that many families will have to accept their second, third or even fourth choice school, possibly miles from home,” write Graeme Paton and Ben Martin in The Daily Telegraph. The problem has been blamed on rising birth rates coupled with the economic downturn which has forced some parents to abandon fee paying schools for state education.

For information on cost saving schemes see our In the Loop article