Liberal Democrat councillors attending a packed meeting of parents petitioning Haringey’s Education Authority to provide extra primary school places in the Muswell Hill area were aghast to learn that the waiting lists at local schools are so long that it is actually not just one, but two, extra primary classes that are needed locally.

After hearing Haringey Council admit the depth of the problem at a meeting with MHSCG (Muswell Hill Schools’ Crisis Group) last Thursday, Liberal Democrat and Muswell Hill Ward councillor Lynne Featherstone commented:

“We are clearly in a crisis situation. Haringey Council should make an unequivocal commitment to create two extra primary classes in the area, subject to agreement with the schools’ head teachers and governing bodies. Local children should have local places.”

Fellow Muswell Hill, Liberal Democrat councillor, Gail Engert backed her call saying:

“This is a crisis that should never have been allowed to happen. The warning statistics of the increasing number of local pre-school children in the area were readily available to anyone, so why were they not heeded by Haringey? Yet again we have a gross failure by Haringey Council to plan ahead and the problem will continue to grow with the increasing new developments of family houses in the area.”