School Places Crisis - Council fails to halt uncertainty

10.02.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 10th Mar 2008

One out of three children in Haringey have not received a place at their preferred secondary school it has been revealed. Children and parents face continued uncertainty after figures released by the Council show that 67% of children starting secondary school in 2008 would not be able to attend their first preference school. Local Liberal Democrats have criticised the Council for failing to make progress on the annual school places crisis which has seen year on year decreases in the number of children receiving their first preference school.

The number of children not receiving their first place increased by 3% from last year and no progress was made in children receiving their first two preferences. Over the past four years children not receiving their first or second preference have increased from 11% in 2005, 18.32% in 2006, 20% in 2007 and 20% in 2008.

Lib Dems have also expressed concern over the increase in the number of children failing to receive any of their first six preferences - up from 191 to 196 in 2008 and an apparent East-West divide showing more children in the East of Haringey failing to receive any of their preferences.

Cllr Gail Engert (Lib Dem Children and Young People spokesperson) comments:

"Again parents and children have to face the annual school places crisis and once again this crisis deepens. The Council is continuing to fail to provide places at schools that children want to attend and alarming new trends have emerged. It is worrying that a large amount of children in the East of Haringey are not receiving any of their preferences."

Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green adds:

"This has been a problem since before I became a councillor ten years ago, and the Lib Dems have constantly reminded the Council that better forward planning is needed before this reaches crisis level. Again, we see a failure in planning, and again we see an increase in this figure. Labour have poured money into education without results - how long will it be until children in Haringey have the service they deserve?"