Baby boom hits Midlands school places

Hundreds of extra classroom places are needed across the Black Country and Staffordshire in September as baby boom children prepare for their first day at school, it emerged today.

In Sandwell alone, an additional 110 reception places are required in September, with a further 210 expected to be needed next year and around 150 in 2013.

Demand is due to a surge in the borough's birth rate by nearly 30 per cent over the last 10 years.

Elsewhere, Wolverhampton City Council received 2,822 applications for places - 84 more than last year.

In Walsall, schools are being refurbished to cope with a numbers boom.

Other councils still have spaces. In Cannock there will be 68 more children starting school in September compared to last year, but there are 61 places spare.

Councillor Bob Badham, cabinet member for children and young people in Sandwell, said today: "We are making use of existing space in schools across the borough wherever possible.

"Work on the new Shireland Hall Primary School is starting soon. And we are already taking steps to increase pupil places further into the future as we anticipate we will need a further 210 reception class places in 2012 and another 150 more in 2013.

"The increase in places will also be met by an increase in teachers and other school staff, which is good news for our schools as well as for jobs in Sandwell."

Charles Green, from Wolverhampton City Council, said: "Twenty-nine Wolverhampton schools were oversubscribed with first preferences alone but we have still been able to allocate 2,488 children with places at their first preferred school."

Graham Talbot, interim managing director for Walsall children's services, said they had approved an extra 30 places at Hillary Primary in Pleck and 15 more at King Charles Primary in Bentley. He added: "Refurbishment is taking place at both schools to ensure sufficient space is available."

By Naomi Dunning