Parties clash over school admissions

The Conservatives have hit out at the "scandal" of the failure to allocate a secondary school place to thousands of London children.

Shadow education secretary Tim Collins blamed government "incompetence" for the failures.

His comments came after London's Evening Standard newspaper reported that around 3,500 children had yet to be offered a place.

It also said that around 10,000 had been denied access to their first choice of school.

Margaret Morrissey, spokesman for the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said the shortage of places was "staggering".

"First you think it's disgraceful, then you feel desperately sad for these children and parents," she said.

Collins warned that the "growing London schools crisis is now a scandal".

"As ever with a Labour government, the  issue is not about a willingness to spend public money rather it is the total incompetence involved in doing it," he added.

"The country now needs a government that will not pass the buck and slide out of responsibility by the use of spin but which instead has the determination to target the problem and offer a solution."