Council threatens school in shifts if funding gap continues

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has seen the biggest percentage increase in pupils in London between 2009 and 2012, with some 1,100 more primary children starting in reception year than leaving year six for secondary school in 2013.

A rising birth rate in Barking and Dagenham, combined with a influx of people from more expensive parts of London and the development of new housing in the area have contributed to a population increase of 22,000 since 2001.

The council’s deputy leader said it has managed to cope with the increased demand by expanding existing schools and through opening one new primary, but it is now considering the “radical option” of teaching pupils at every level of education in shifts.

Councillor Rocky Gill told Channel 4 News that the current level of funding is fall well short of need and is calling for £50m a year to meet the demand for school places up to 2016/17.

Split school week

He said that if this funding need is not met then the council would have to split the school week into shifts in two or three years time to cope with the demand.

Under one proposal, pupils would attend school either between 8am and 2pm or 2pm and 8pm. An alternative idea is a three day week with longer school days.

“We know there are pros and cons of each for working parents,” said Councillor Gill. “Parents and teachers will be fully consulted to get their views prior to implementation.”

“This is not a blip,” he added. “The government needs to respond to our funding call. I can’t understand why government can’t match supply to demand. It’s not rocket science.”

While much of the focus has been on primary school places, Barking and Dagenham estimates that a similar crisis in secondary school places is looming.

‘Unprecedented demand’

The council forecasts that from 2014 pressure on secondary places really steps up â?? with estimates suggest that around 200 places a year are needed.

Local Government Association analysis published on Tuesday shows that as many as two in three councils in England could find that demand for primary places could outstrip supply by September 2016.

It put this down to an “unprecedented demand for places”, driven by the birth rate rising faster than at any time since the 1950s.

The analysis by the LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, shows that the problem is particularly acute in parts of London and the south east, with Barking and Dagenham among a group that will have to increase the number of school place by at least 20 per cent by 2016.

Funding shortfall

Cllr Peter John, executive member for childrenâ??s services at London Councils, said: “At the heart of Londonâ??s school places challenge is a shortage in funding from central government.

“Between 2012 to 2016, the shortfall in funding means London boroughs will have spent an extra £1.04bn to create the necessary new places through practical measures such as expanding local maintained schools, rebuilding existing classrooms and working closely with schools to find creative solutions.

“London Councils’ analysis shows that between now and 2016 we need an additional 83,470 places. This is the equivalent to 199 new schools. The scale of this challenge means that boroughs must be sufficiently funded to provide a good quality school place for each one of Londonâ??s children.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have worked closely with councils to reform school place funding so it is now more accurate than ever before – targeting money exactly where places are needed.

“Since 2011/12 £118m has been provided to Barking and Dagenham to provide additional school places – significantly more than the £66.7m the council received during the previous spending review period. More than 4,000 new school places have been created to meet demand in the areas since 2009, with more to come over the next few years.

“We are spending £5bn by 2015 on creating new school places â?? more than double the amount spent by the previous government in the same timeframe.”