SURREY'S biggest ever school places crisis is being made worse by applications from outside the county, it has been claimed, after a report found that one in ten came from parents in and around London.
According to Surrey County Council figures, about 15 per cent of applications for a secondary school place in Surrey for next September came from London, with about 1,700 coming from the capital's surrounding boroughs including Croydon, Sutton and Kingston-upon-Thames.
A large number of the applications were for schools in Caterham, Epsom, Esher and Sunbury-on-Thames, with the rest scattered among schools in the county. A record 11,000 applications were received by the council this year as the authority looks to find an extra 13,000 places in the next few years.
More than 3,500 new places are expected to be needed by the start of the next academic year. The council's expansion plan, which is the equivalent of building nine two-form entry primary schools, will see 20 schools expanded to create extra places.
Stamford Green Primary, West Byfleet Infant and Junior, and Ashford Primary schools are set to take an extra 210 places each. In November, an additional 750 places were created.
The figures come as estate agents highlighted a trend that has seen hundreds of Londoners escaping the capital to live in Surrey with some warning that the 13,000 extra places currently needed could be the tip of the iceberg. It is thought that if the London migration continues, it could lead to another 12,000 places being required over the next decade.
Surrey County Council's cabinet member for schools and learning Linda Kemeny said: "Surrey has some of the best state schools in the country and it's clear that the high-quality education they offer continues to attract a large number of Londoners.
"Surrey needs to find 13,000 extra places in the coming years and unprecedented demand has left the council with a £215 million funding shortfall.
"With the county's taxpayers contributing £6 billion to the national coffers every year and getting less than a billion back in funding for services, it's time Whitehall gave Surrey's schools a fairer deal."
