This news piece can also be found at the South West Londoner, here.

Croydon is projected to be in severe need of primary school placements by 2014, according to an England-wide study.

The National Audit Office (NAO) warned on Friday that due to one in five primary schools in England being at capacity, there could be a deficit of 250,000 places by 2014. Croydon’s projected shortfall of 15.8% is the one of the highest figures released.

The shortage of school placements in the borough has been acknowledged for some time. In February, residents campaigned against plans to expand a primary school in South Norwood, fearing it would put strain on nearby roads.

There is an ongoing consultation in progress on building a new primary school on Haling Road in South Croydon, offering 60 places a year. If the proposal is accepted, the school would take students from September 2014.
John Bownas, a spokesperson for Croydon Council’s Education Department, said that each student place matters when helping placement deficit issues in the area.