Bransgore Primary School's successful bid to build three new classrooms to tackle 'significant' pressure on space

BRANSGORE Primary School has been given the green light to build three new classrooms to urgently tackle overcrowding.

Documents submitted to New Forest District Council stated the school has been under significant pressure or the past 20 years with regular waiting lists of up to 80 pupils.

Some pupils are currently being taught in "temporary huts" in the playground.

The planning application said: "We do not currently have the space to cope with this many children and a further three classrooms is essential for the growth of the school."

In 2017 it successfully applied for a £1.3m grant from the Department For Education to build a new four-classroom block with additional dining space.

But the documents added: "However, the regional schools commissioner refused to support our application and we had to forfeit the grant. This was a massive disappointment to us all."

The school in Ringwood Road said while it recovered from the "huge setback", the pressure was "too great", with junior classes operating with up to 36 pupils of mixed age.

It currently has 359 pupils attending, from early years through to Year 6, but anticipates the roll will grow to 400-420 pupils in the coming years.

The plan is to demolish sheds at the site to create the new teaching facilities.

The application does not specify how the school will fund the build.

It added: "We are now rapidly running out of space and need to build three additional classrooms to complete the move to two forms of entry [two classes per year group] as the pupils move up through school and break into 14 rather than 10 classes."

The school also cautioned about growing pressure from nearby development, saying: "There is more and more housing proposed in the village as well as at Hinton and on the Bransgore edge of Ringwood.

"So there is likely to be growing, rather than declining, demand on school places and we need to respond to this challenge as a matter of urgency.

"Currently we are using every available space in school as well as temporary huts on the playground to teach pupils.

"This is not a satisfactory model moving forward and the school would like to provide suitable and appropriate accommodation for our pupils for the long term.

"We believe that this development will secure the academic and financial future of Bransgore school and will provide the village with a school to meet its needs."