Hundreds of new schools needed to cope with 'immigrant baby boom' - research » Local Government » 24dash.com

Building new schools for the "immigrant baby boom" could cost more than £1 billion, researchers found.

More than 50,000 extra places will be needed at primary schools for the children of parents born outside the UK.

In five years they will boost primary school entry in England and Wales to its highest level for 16 years.

Research by think-tank Migrationwatch UK found an estimated £1 billion will be needed for 270 new schools to educate the youngsters, as well £200 million a year to run them.

The study was carried out for the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration.

MPs Nicholas Soames and Frank Field, who chair the group, said "uncontrolled immigration" was increasing pressure on public services.

They called on ministers to cut immigration and prevent the population hitting 70 million.

"This research illustrates how uncontrolled immigration is directly affecting ordinary families," they said.

"The government have clearly failed to plan for the consequences of the mass immigration they have permitted.

"Today's research highlights primary school places but the same applies to health, housing and other services.

"The research is yet more evidence that the Government must take steps to reduce immigration so as to prevent our population from reaching 70 million within the next 25 years, as official forecasts now predict, if public services and the public purse are to be protected."

The study found there will be 703,000 five-year-olds entering primary school in 2014, compared with 607,000 now.

Of the increase of 96,000, more than half is due to children with two parents born outside the UK. Around a sixth - 13,000 children - have one foreign-born parent, and less than a third - 29,000 are children of British-born parents.

But the Department for Children, Schools and Families said there were more than half a million spare places in primary schools.

A spokesman said: "There is no nationwide primary school place shortage - there are over half a million spare places in primary schools across the country.

"Local authorities are under a duty to make sure that every child of compulsory school age has a suitable school place, and rightly it is for them to make pupil projections for their area as they are most aware of the local situation.

"Schools in England have had a seven-fold rise in funding for building and renovating schools from just £700m a year to over £7bn now.

"In July we announced a £200 million fund to build permanent classrooms for reception pupils over the next two years in areas facing exceptional growth in demand.

"The latest figures from ONS showed a fall in net migration, which is further proof that migrants come to the UK for short periods of time, work, contribute to the economy and then return home.

"Our new flexible points based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come."

Last month the Office for National Statistics revealed the population of Britain passed 61 million for the first time.

The fastest population growth in half a century was fuelled in part by high birth rates among immigrant families.

This helped boost the number of births last year to 791,000 - up 33,000 on 2007.