Top schools are forced to take in extra pupils

Leading primary schools are being ordered to expand under emergency moves to tackle a shortage of places - to the fury of parents.

Kingston council said today it had asked seven popular primary and infant schools to take in more than 200 children who were not offered a place for September by using temporary classrooms.

The action comes after London councils revealed more than 2,100 children were not offered any of their preferred schools in this year's primary admissions round.

Kingston was the worst-affected area because the number of applications took the council by surprise.

Even families that have now gained places at one of their three preferred schools are angry at what they claim is the council's failure to plan for a surge in demand that could have been predicted.

Governors of the affected schools are worried the high quality of education they offer, making them popular in the first place, could be threatened by expansion.

One parent governor, who asked not to be named, claimed the schools had been "strong-armed" into each accepting 30 more five-year-olds than they had planned for.

The governor warned there would be "a lot of parental anger" but added: "We have to make the best of it to make sure there's no dilution of education quality and, with the limited resources we have, that every child has the best education."

Kingston insists that 96 per cent of parents have now been offered one of their preferred schools.

But at least one family is still without a place at any of its choices. Collette-Johns said: "Our four-year-old daughter Isabella is one of these unplaced children.

"A letter arrived from the council offering four schools, all of which were not on our original list of three, or even as reserve.

"We will refuse their inadequate, disgraceful offer, but are at a loss at to what to do come September. Even the private schools in the area are all full and have waiting lists."

Paola Hellel has been offered a place for son Zach, four, at Fern Hill Primary - her second choice - after initially receiving no offers.

But she said: "The whole situation is a disgrace. There are so many parents still without a clue as to where their child will be at school from September. How can they make any plans?" The extra places are being created at Alexandra Infants, recently rated "outstanding" by education watchdog Ofsted; Coombe Hill Infants; whose junior school was ranked second in Kingston for results achieved by 11-year-olds last year; Fern Hill Primary, which was third in the rankings; Burlington Infants; Christchurch Primary; Surbiton Maple Infants; and Lovelace Primary. Temporary classrooms are to be installed in five of the seven.

Patricia Bamford, Kingston's executive member for children and young people's services, said she wanted to thank parents for their "patience and understanding" while the additional places were being sought.