Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Minister, commenting on the expected rise in families not getting their first choice of school on secondary school offer day, said:

“The system for school place planning is broken.

“The Tories’ unjustified fixation with Free Schools means new schools are opening in areas which do not need them and just last week the NAO reported that the Government are not doing enough to ensure all parents can exercise choice when selecting the right school for their children.

“The Tories need to sort this mess out instead of obsessing over a handful of new grammar schools which will only help a minority of children.”