More than 1,000 new primary school places in Mansfield after huge pressure on demand

The figure was revealed by Nottinghamshire County Council chiefs, who say rapidly increasing birth rate and growth of new housing developments in and around Mansfield have led to a greater demand for school places.

Ian Webster, Team Manager for Place Planning Strategy, said: “ The town of Mansfield has experienced some of the greatest pressure on places and the county council embarked on an ambitious primary school expansion programme to provide the required number of additional places.

“By September 2016, we will have created an extra 1,050 permanent places in primary schools across the town of Mansfield and Forest Town.

“That’s the equivalent of 5 standard sized, new primary schools. By expanding existing schools, we are able to provide the places where they are needed most and in schools that are familiar to the local community.

An application has been made for six more classrooms in a new two-storey building at Mansfield’s Sutton Road Primary School and Nursery to meet increasing pressure on places.

The application to Notts County Council, made on February 19, includes an extension to the foundation unit, with related play area and a 2.4m perimeter fence, extended hard play area, a store/shelter and PE store and extension to car park.

Ian Webster said: “Sutton Road Primary School is a very popular and successful school and the local population has been increasing for a number of years.

“There are also new houses planned nearby, which the school will serve.

“The site is large and is capable of supporting an increased number of pupils at the school.

“The planned building work will increase the size of the highly successful nursery setting as well as create 6 new classrooms in a two-storey block.”

The works will not only allow the school to continue to offer places to its existing local community but also prepare it to accept the children from the new housing, planned nearby.

Regular meetings with the school leadership and governing body have taken place to ensure that disruption to the day-to-day activities of the school and its pupils will be disrupted as little as possible..

The plans were announced on the school website, where it says it is planned to increase the number of first admission places by 30 and then grow the school year-on-year as the larger numbers work their way through.