Derbyshire has more than 100 overcrowded schools

The Education Policy Institute said areas with schools operating close to or over capacity see teaching staff facing additional demand.

A school is at or in excess of capacity when the number of pupils enrolled is greater than or equal to its number of places.

Department for Education figures show 104 schools were at or over capacity in Derbyshire in the 2021-22 academic year. Of them, 95 were primary schools and nine were secondary schools.

Across England, 17% of primary schools were full or over capacity while 23% of secondary schools, including sixth forms, were at or above capacity last year.

The Department for Education said most state schools that exceeded their capacity were over by fewer than 10 pupils. About 7% of schools exceeded their capacity by 10 or more students.

The figures show the most crowded primary school in Derbyshire last year was Ridgeway Primary School. The school had 188 students on roll and 105 places – meaning it was over capacity by 79%.

The most crowded secondary school in the area was John Flamsteed Community School which had 856 pupils and 600 places last year. It was over capacity by 43%.

Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, said arrangements are put in place to accommodate pupils where a school is over-subscribed.

Mr Barton added: "The bigger issue is that this situation is often driven by Ofsted judgements rather than a shortage of school places in the system as a whole because many parents apply for schools with ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ ratings. It drives up property prices in certain areas and stigmatises schools in other areas."

He said the system "desperately" needs to be reviewed and added struggling schools need more support.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said it has created almost 1.2 million school places since 2010 and added many more are "in the pipeline".

They said: “The vast majority of schools listed as overcapacity are either at or just over recorded capacity, and we work closely with local authorities to make sure they offer a school place to every child in country.”