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Wolverhampton primaries in line for expansion

Two Wolverhampton schools are in line for expansions in a bid to ease the chronic shortage of primary places across the city.

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Wolverhampton City Council has brought in a £15m schools expansion scheme to create more than 700 new places by 2016.

The authority originally proposed to permanently increase the size of four schools, with a further five in line for temporary measures.

An additional 60 reception places would have been created by The Royal School's conversion to a free school, but a one-year delay to that scheme means a contingency plan has been put into place.

To make up for the shortfall, Trinity Church of England School in Longford Road, Heath Town, and Bushbury Hill Primary School in Old Fallings Lane will both be expanded in time for the autumn term.

Trinity will undergo a two-storey extension, allowing it to take in three forms instead of two.

The new building will be constructed at the back of the existing school and will consist of six new classrooms, two group rooms and three toilet blocks.

Ten new car parking spaces will also be created as part of the plans.

Meanwhile, Bushbury Hill Primary is set to have a new single-storey classroom block and an outdoor play area.

It will enable the school to increase its pupil intake from 30 to 60 over each of the next two years.

The school was initially earmarked to house temporary bulge classes until 2017.

Other schools undergoing permanent expansions are Bilston CofE, Eastfield, Manor Primary and Westacre, creating 465 new places.

Temporary bulge classes will be set up at Loxdale Primary, St Martin's CE Primary, Stowlawn and West Park Primary, making 270 new places over the next two years.

Demand for primary school places has shot up 26 per cent in the last 10 years.

The council had enacted the plan as part of its statutory duty to provide sufficient school places.

A £1.2m growth fund has been set up by the council to support the needs of pupils in expanding schools.

The British Sikh School is set to create 120 new reception places over the next two years.

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