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State school places across England are already running low amid concerns that Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools fees will lead to an unprecedented rush for the best secondaries.

More than 95 per cent of state school places are thought to be to be full in some areas, leaving pupils who are forced out of the private sector with slim pickings.

Use the interactive tool below to see how many schools in your area are full, and how many are being forced to take pupils in excess of their capacity.

Tens of thousands of pupils are expected to leave the independent sector under Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private school fees.

But a Daily Mail investigation suggests some may struggle to find a state school to accept them, and those that do may be the least popular.

Analysis of recent data shows almost two in five councils had less than 10 per cent of places unfilled at both secondary and primary level.

Critics of the Labour policy expect demand for the best state schools to get even higher, putting more pressure on places – and leaving many parents who take their children out of private school with few choices.

The Department for Education data is from May 2023 – the most recent set available.

Two in five councils had less than 10 per cent of places unfilled at both secondary and primary level in 2023

The numbers for this year are likely to be similar – and in secondary schools it could be even worse as the older pupil population is expanding following a baby boom.

At secondary level, just 61 of 153 councils had less than 10 per cent of secondary places unfilled, while eight councils had less than five per cent.

The most full-up local authority was Kensington and Chelsea in London, where only 3.2 per cent of places were unfilled.

This was followed by Rutland, where it was 3.7 per cent, and Harrow in north-west London, where it was 3.9 per cent.

The data also shows choice of available secondary schools was low in many areas, with 19 councils reporting 40 per cent or more of their schools at or over capacity.

In Kensington and Chelsea, 67 per cent were full, in Bristol it was 59 per cent and in Southend-on-Sea and Stoke-on-Trent it was 50 per cent.

The figures were for all year groups, so even if there were places available at a school, they may not be available for a specific age.

For primary schools, the situation was similar, with 56 of the 153 councils having less than 10 per cent of places unfilled. Of these, 10 councils had less than five per cent of places unfilled.

The worst situations at primary level were in Bolton and Wolverhampton, where only 3.5 per cent of places were unfilled, and Walsall, where it was 3.8 per cent.

Two councils had more than 40 per cent of primaries at or over capacity – Trafford, with 52 per cent at this point, and Sutton, with 56 per cent.

A spokesman for Education Not Taxation said: ‘As parents, we have long said that school fee VAT will force children out of their schools. We’re now seeing more and more signs of the chaos this will cause.

Up to 40,000 children, or seven per cent of the private school population, could be pushed into the state sector by Labour’s plan to impose VAT on school fees 

‘Independent schools are closing and state schools are seeing rising demand for places. Local authorities are running out of options to accommodate these children.

‘We all want great schools but we can’t get there by pitting schools against each other. We urge Labour to find a better way.’

Some parents who use private schools say the higher fees due to VAT will be unaffordable for them.

Estimates on how many pupils will be pushed into the state sector by Labour’s policy have varied. One of the more conservative predictions came from the Institute for Fiscal Studies last year, which said it could be up to 40,000 – or seven per cent of the private school population.

Councils are under a legal obligation to provide every child a place that needs one but do not have to give parents their first choice school. This means if parents cannot find a place near their home they may have to drive their children to schools further away.

Labour says the VAT will raise £1.7 billion to spend on state education, including extra teachers.

A Labour spokesman said: ‘The next Labour government will break down the barriers to opportunity by investing in our state schools and recruiting over 6,500 new teachers and putting mental health counselling in every secondary school through ending the tax breaks for private schools.

‘Independent schools have raised fees above inflation for well over a decade and do not have to pass Labour’s proposed change onto parents.’