Numbers at primary school to soar

An extra half-a-million pupils will be attending England's primary schools by 2018 as pressure on the system continues to increase, figures show.

New government data reveals that pupil numbers in state nursery and primary schools are projected to increase by 9 per cent by 2015, and are likely to reach levels last seen in the late 1970s by 2017.

The numbers of five and six-year-old pupils are expected to rise by 10 per cent in the next four years. The projections will put more pressure on primary school places, which are already facing a crisis.