London short of 50,000 primary places

London will need an extra 50,000 primary places in the next seven years, but doesn't have the money to provide them according to a report by London Councils.

And the demand for places in reception classes will be especially high.

The reason for the shortage is that a higher proportion of children born locally are applying for places in state primary schools, possibly because parents who would otherwise use private schools cannot afford to do so. There are also apparently more families arriving than leaving.

It will cost £880m to create enough places to meet the increased demand, and current Government funding plans will "nowhere near" meet the costs, says the report.

20 out of 32 boroughs in the capital are already short of places, and another eight expect to need more places over the coming seven years. But the growth in demand is not steady - instead it's spasmodic, with demand rising one year and falling the next.

One result of the shortage of places is that pupils will have to travel further to school.