Dozens of overcrowded schools in south east London: Revealed

The Education Policy Institute said areas with schools operating close to or over capacity see teaching staff facing additional demand.

A school is at or in excess of capacity when the number of pupils enrolled is greater than or equal to its number of places.

Bromley had the highest number of overcrowded schools out of all the south east London boroughs.

The most overcrowded school was Beths Grammar School in Bexley, which was over capacity by 19 per cent.

Below is the number of overcrowded schools in each south east London borough.

Bexley

11 schools were at or over capacity in Bexley in the 2021-22 academic year.

Of them, six were primary schools and five were secondary schools.

The figures show the most crowded primary school in Bexley last year was Upton Primary School.

The school had 427 students on roll and 420 places – meaning it was over capacity by 2 per cent.

The most crowded secondary school in the area was Beths Grammar School which had 1,738 pupils and 1,460 places last year; it was over capacity by 19 per cent.

Bromley

19 schools were at or over capacity in Bromley in the 2021-22 academic year.

Of them, 14 were primary schools and five were secondary schools.

The figures show the most crowded primary school in Bromley last year was St James' Roman Catholic Primary School.

The school had 218 students on roll and 188 places – meaning it was over capacity by 16 per cent.

The most crowded secondary school in the area was Newstead Wood School which had 1,239 pupils and 1,160 places last year; it was over capacity by 7 per cent.

Greenwich

11 schools were at or over capacity in Greenwich in the 2021-22 academic year.

Of them, seven were primary schools and four were secondary schools.

The figures show the most crowded primary school in Greenwich last year was Christ Church Church of England Primary School.

The school had 210 students on roll and 188 places – meaning it was over capacity by 12 per cent.

The most crowded secondary school in the area was Thomas Tallis School which had 2,062 pupils and 1,908 places last year. It was over capacity by 8 per cent.

Lewisham

Five schools were at or over capacity in Lewisham in the 2021-22 academic year.

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Of them, four were primary schools and one was a secondary school.

The figures show the most crowded primary school in Lewisham last year was Tidemill Academy.

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The school had 414 students on roll and 402 places – meaning it was over capacity by 3 per cent.

The most crowded secondary school in the area was Bonus Pastor Catholic College which had 924 pupils and 866 places last year; it was over capacity by 7 per cent.

Across England, 17 per cent of primary schools were full or over capacity while 23 per cent of secondary schools, including sixth forms, were at or above capacity last year.

The Department for Education said most state schools that exceeded their capacity were over by fewer than 10 pupils.

About 7 per cent of schools exceeded their capacity by 10 or more students.

Jon Andrews, Education Policy Institute head of analysis, said the proportion of schools operating at over capacity is likely to fall in the coming years.

"Pupil numbers are already declining in primary and will soon peak in secondary and special schools. The Department for Education estimate that the total pupil population will fall by over 900,000 between 2022 and 2032," Mr Andrews added.

He warned the result of schools operating close to or over capacity is additional demands on teaching staff and pupils being left without their preferred choice of school.

He said: "With our research having revealed that pupils from more affluent backgrounds more frequently succeed via these routes of appeal, it’s likely that disadvantaged pupils will suffer to a greater extent from the effects of schools being over capacity.”

Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, said arrangements are put in place to accommodate pupils where a school is over-subscribed.

Mr Barton added: "The bigger issue is that this situation is often driven by Ofsted judgements rather than a shortage of school places in the system as a whole because many parents apply for schools with ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ ratings.

"It drives up property prices in certain areas and stigmatises schools in other areas."

He said the system "desperately" needs to be reviewed and added struggling schools need more support.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said it has created almost 1.2 million school places since 2010 and added many more are "in the pipeline".

They said: “The vast majority of schools listed as overcapacity are either at or just over recorded capacity, and we work closely with local authorities to make sure they offer a school place to every child in country.”