MORE than one in five schools in the North-East and Cumbria have no more room for pupils, as parents rush to meet the deadline to apply for a primary school in place.

A new analysis of Freedom of Information requests by Labour reveals that 22.2 per cent of primary schools in the North-East and Cumbria have more pupils than they have capacity for.

The figure for North Yorkshire is even larger with close to half - 44.5 per cent – of primary schools over capacity.

Statistics for secondary schools show a similar problem with 14.5 per cent of senior schools in the North-East and Cumbria over capacity and 30 per cent over capacity in North Yorkshire.

In the North-East the authority which has the biggest proportion of schools which are over capacity is Stockton – where 24.4 per cent of primary schools are over capacity and 30.8 per cent of secondary schools are in the same boat.

At the same time Labour point out that hundreds of millions of pounds are being spent on David Cameron’s flagship Free Schools in areas where there is no shortage of school places.

Responses to Freedom of Information requests show that four in five of the new Free Schools this academic year had not filled all their places on opening.

Just two of the new mainstream primary Free Schools had all the pupils they planned for.

Tristram Hunt, Labour’ Shadow Education Secretary, said: “David Cameron is irresponsibly diverting millions away from children in areas with a shortage of school places in order to fund his pet project Free Schools programme in areas where are already enough places. This is affecting schools standards and creating a classroom squeeze with more infants being crammed into large classes and pupils being taught in makeshift temporary classrooms.”