Frustration reigns at local council level as the power to open new academies is out of their hands, even as they try plan for school places.

Speaking at Greenwich Council cabinet meeting, councillors spoke of the frustration of trying to make sure they have enough schools in the borough to cope with all the new developments.

Councillor Miranda Williams, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We have worked really hard to make sure every child has a school place and we have done that year in and year out.

“But when we have academy trusts dealing directly with the government over school places they have to open, it’s very difficult to provide certainty when those schools will open.”

The number of children at Greenwich primary schools has increased by 21 per cent in the last five years, and the council expect that number to continue rising with the new housing developments.

There continues to be pressure for primary school places in Charlton, Blackheath Westcombe, Greenwich Peninsula, West Greenwich, and Woolwich areas.

Speaking to News Shopper, council leader Denise Hyland spoke of the frustration of trying to get trusts to build in the borough when it is in the Department for Education’s hands.

Cllr Hyland said: “It’s like a Californian gold rush when you want trusts to come in and set up free schools and academies.

“We don’t know when these schools are going to open. We don’t have that certainty about our schools.”

Florence Kroll, director of children’s services at Greenwich Council, explained that the difficulty lay with the fact the Department for Education (DfE) is in charge of approving new academies.

Ms Kroll said: “The decision making for starting a new academy is for the DfE but the school places planning is still our responsibility.

“We have to project way forward many, many years and we have come all around the table together when it comes to talking about school place planning.”

“We are talking about [planning until] 2020. It’s about the number of children that move into the area.

“We have the responsibility for school place planning but sometimes we are not involved in what schools will open when.”

Cllr Hyland said: “We as a local authority cannot build new schools nor do we have much in terms of funding to create new spaces. It’s our job but we have no money.

“It’s not an issue just for Greenwich, it’s all over the country. Which academies are going to open and where and what types of school, girls or boys or co-eds, is not our decision.”