Cash boost for Primary Schools

EXTRA funding is being poured into primary schools in the borough in order to cope with the increased demand for places. A total of �941,000 will be spent on nine different Primary, Infant and Junior Schools to make more places available for future studen

EXTRA funding is being poured into primary schools in the borough in order to cope with the increased demand for places.

A total of �941,000 will be spent on nine different Primary, Infant and Junior Schools to make more places available for future students.

Over the last two years the council has steadily increased the number of pupils able to attend schools, creating 774 new places.

Additional classes are already being provided at Eastbury and Northbury Schools and more temporary classrooms were created at Ripple Infants.

Many other schools have agreed to create an extra reception class to cope with the rising numbers of four and five-year-olds hoping to attend.

Seven new classes were created in September 2008 to give places to an additional 210 children.

Now the council executive has agreed more funding so that classes are equipped to deal with their increasing numbers.

Those receiving extra funding will be; Gascoigne Primary, Ripple Infant and Junior, Beam Primary, Cambell Infants, Marsh Green Primary, Five Elms, Thames View Infants, Richard Alibon and Rush Green Primary.

Council officers estimate that �16 million will eventually have been invested, paid for through at Basic Needs grant awarded to the council in 2006.

This money will be used to cover the �914,000 cost of further expanding schools this summer.

Executive members were told that more money will have to be sought from the Dedicated Schools Grant for the 2009/10 budget in order to provide for all the extra pupils.