Why do there seem to be so many school place shortages?

Analysis: The problem is most acute in London and its surrounding counties, but why has nobody seen it coming? Eleanor Busby explains

Not knowing where they will be going to school causes huge anxiety for children (PA)

More than half a million families were told on Friday which secondary school their child would go to in September.

National Offer Day can be an anxious time for many parents, and now with secondary school pupil numbers on the rise, parents in some parts of England have even more to worry about.

This year, for the first time, Hertfordshire County Council has failed to allocate all children a school place. Nearly 200 families are in limbo waiting to hear where their child will be for the start of the autumn term.