School place appeals up 11 per cent

Tens of thousands of parents appealed last year after children were refused places at favoured primary schools, figures show.

In total, 46,905 appeals were lodged for admission to state primary schools, including infant classes, in 2010-11 – an 11.5 per cent increase on the year before, when there were 42,070.

Some say intense pressure on school places, caused by a rising birth rate and immigration, is fuelling the rise in appeals.