Parents could face 'shortage' of primary school places

Parents could face a "desperate shortage" of primary school places within two years because councils wanting to open schools are facing "unnecessary restrictions", it has been claimed.

Almost half of the school districts in England will be over capacity by 2015-16 leaving parents scrambling for places that do not exist, the head of the Local Government Association told the BBC.

The warning comes as the Government announces 93 new free schools opening across the country, creating an extra 43,000 spaces for primary and secondary school children.

But the LGA is calling for the Department for Education to work more closely with local councils, so planning for emerging demand for places can be better managed.

Its analysis of local authority data suggests about 1,000 of the 2,277 local school planning districts will be over capacity by 2015-16, the BBC said.