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Labour warns of a shortfall of 120,000 primary places

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The Labour party has warned that thousands of parents face a summer of worry because of a school places crisis created by the Government.

According to Labour, the claim by the Department for Education that local authorities will create an extra 110,000 extra primary places, will fall well short of the 230,000 places that the National Audit Office says is required.

The analysis goes on to say that the number of overcrowded infant classes has doubled and ‘bulge classrooms’ are being set up in temporary buildings not suitable for learning.

It claims that more than 72,000 children are being taught in classes of more than 30, breaching the limit Labour had in place in Government.

It also criticises the Government’s free school programme, which it says has wasted millions of pounds as capital funding is spent creating schools in surplus places.

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