Why The Increase?

[youngmafbog]

I was under the impression things have been bad for the last five years but it seems our child population is exploding? How come ?


http://news.sky.com/story/1064858/school-places-call-for-250000-extra-spaces

[Sqad]

trigger...;-)

[emmie]

build schools, with what exactly and where, please explain as we are apparently skint. All our council seems interested in is building office block after office block.. oh and their new offices, at massive costs.

[Old_Geezer]

We had sufficient schools when I went (admittedly folk didn't baulk at class sizes so much then). I assume we do not have fewer now. So the problem is the one many seem to want to deny; too many people needing the society's facilities.

Regardless as to whether benefits cover child care costs or not, to pay parents for being parents is no disincentive to irresponsible breeding. And clearly society isn't going to allow the children to suffer if it can avoid it, no matter what strains it places on the budgets so there is little encouragement to those who want many offspring "come hell or high water".

Until the authorities stop hiding their collective heads in the sand and sort out both immigration and domestic family size, the problem will grow worse. It is pointless abusing existing taxpaying citizens in the hope of squeezing more out of them. Quarts should not be expected from "pint pots"; the rest of us are not responsible for the actions of others. If the authorities are desperate for solutions then that is their own fault for not ensuring the problem didn't grow to the present size. And it is unconscionable to expect to draw more blood from the existing taxpayers to push the issue into the future for someone else to deal with.

I'm unsure why there is reported to be a particular boom right now, but I suspect immigration is more likely to correlate to the bulge than any change in domestic attitudes.

[jake-the-peg]

//In May last year just over 20% of schools were full or over capacity despite the more than 80,000 extra places created between 2010 and 2012.//

so in other words 80% of schools had excess capacity - yes?

So we don't have a need for a massive increase in overall capacity - we have need for more capacity in 20% of the schools/locations


Our child population is not *exploding* there are still not enough to replace the last generation (under 2)


This is the same false argument about 'our overcrowded island'

Overall there's not an issue - the issue is in certain locations in the country.

Come on guys - you can't all live in London

I moved out of there - so can you - go on give it a try!

[Sqad]

Jake

\\\\so in other words 80% of schools had excess capacity - yes?\\

No..........20% did.

Have i missed something?

[emmie]

no don't move here, this place is bloody well swamped.

[emmie]

seems a lot more to me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17632475

[jake-the-peg]

I think you have sqad

it says

//just over 20% of schools were full or over capacity//

That says to me 80% had excess capacity

What are you reading?

[jake-the-peg]

by excess capacity - I mean they were not full and could take more children

Is that where the confusion is coming from?

If 100% of schools had excess capacity we would be wasting money overproviding wouldn't we?

[emmie]

then why are they saying many more places are needed, or are you simply saying it's in specific areas.

[Sqad]

LOL...yes.....I see. mmmm!

[jake-the-peg]

You can't tell from those statistics Em - because you don't know how much spare capacity is in the 80% of schools that have it.

Looking at the birth rate charts there was a rise 5 years ago but not a huge one

It's probably a number of factors

Certain over popular schools + Overcrowding in the South East + a bit of a rise in demand


Note the NAO says '37% in London.'

We have to stop overcrowding the South East

Seriously Guys - if you live in London this means you!

Come on out, roads are less crowded, Schools are less crowded, you can see a GP when you need to

I wouldn't go back to London

[emmie]

well the councils are trying and may well succeed in shoving us poorer folk out, this bedroom tax is indeed the first sign that this could well happen.. our council, Labour run i might add has suggested that hundreds of somewhat poorer families may have to move outside of the borough, or more likely outside of the capital, where do they, we go, this isn't a jest, nor am i laughing, if anything i am scared half to death...

[pdq1]

I would have thought em the bedroom tax will have the effect of a huge surge in births in order to fill their empty bedrooms.

[emmie]

doubt it, as many are elderly.... where would we be moved to, away from family, and any kind of support, it's not as though there are smaller properties to move into... no one seems to have remotely thought this through. The criteria for having a spare room is now ludicrous...

[LazyGun]

Full Fact have taken a look at this, and produced an interesting report;

http://fullfact.org/factchecks/school_places_shortage-28826

[BRIGHT SPARK]

The shortage is partly because more kids are coming out of private education due to the recession and also because we give young mothers a free life ticket for about 18 years.

[mikey4444]

As long as our society rewards people for having children, then I can't see the situation changing at all.

There was a story recently about an unmarried mother in Tewkesbury that had 11 children and the local Council had no option but to build her a special house. I worked out that she was claiming £154.30 every week in Child Benefit alone. There are a lot of people who are working that don't earn that much a week.

I can't understand why we should continue to lavish money on someone who clearly shows no restraint. If Child Benefit didn't exist, would she have continued to breed at such a rate ?

When is someone like that going to start making contributions into society, instead of keep taking ?