The Department of Education has defended its decision to open only one new primary free school in the borough after a wave of newly announced free schools across the country.

The comments come after Jennette Arnold, London Assembly Member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, criticised the Government last week for failing to address the shortfall in primary school places.

The DfE said 91 per cent of the primary free schools approved last month will be in areas of basic need.

A DfE spokeswoman said: “The vast majority of open mainstream Free Schools are in areas with the greatest pressure on places.”

The spokeswoman added that by September they expect more than 60,000 extra school places will have been created in London, with more to come.

It was announced last month that four new free schools would open in the borough in September next year, but that only one is to be a primary school.

Waltham Forest is one of 16 boroughs in London that fall into the ‘severe’ category, described by the National Audit Office as meaning primary school places are projected to fall short by more than five per cent by 2014/15.

Ms Arnold said last week: “It is baffling as to why the Government has agreed to primary level free schools in boroughs where they do not have a shortage of school places, yet Waltham Forest has to fight the Government to get the funding it needs to ensure school places for every child.

“Waltham Forest is facing an incredible amount of pressure to provide school places but the Government has neglected to allocate London a fair share of funding to meet the increasing demand.

“This is irresponsible and children in London deserve better.

She added that pupil numbers in London are growing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the UK and that long-term investment was needed to ensure every child has a school place.

Across London only seven of the 16 primary level free schools are to be opened in boroughs in ‘severe’ need of places.

The spokesperson said that by 2015 the Government will have spend £1.6bn on new school places in London – around 40 per cent of the funding allocated to all local authorities for new school places across the country.