School places will be discussed by the Department for Education’s permanent secretary Chris Wormauld at a public meeting in Barking on Monday.

Public evidence sessions usually take place inside the House of Commons but the Public Accounts Committee, of which Barking MP Margaret Hodge is chair, has decided to hold this one within the borough.

Committee members will spend the first part of the day visiting Gascoigne Primary School and Barking Abbey Secondary School to see first hand the challenges that schools face.

Mr Wormauld will then give evidence at Barking Town Hall based on a newly published report by the National Audit Office, Capital Funding for New School Places.

The report highlights that despite increases in places and funding over the last two years, an additional 256,000 places are still required by 2014/15.

The evidence session is open to the public and will start at 3.15pm.

Figures show that up to 10,000 extra primary places will be needed within the borough over the next decade.