Extra Primary School Places In Cheltenham And Gloucester

20 November 2013, 14:26 | Updated: 20 November 2013, 14:34

With parents now able to apply for their primary school place for next September, the County Council say additional capacity is being added in some areas of Cheltenham and Gloucester.

Four primary schools will increase the number of school places they can offer to local families for September 2014.

Additional temporary school places are needed to meet increased demand due to an increase in the number of Under-fives. This means there is particularly high demand for places for children starting school next year in some parts of Cheltenham and Gloucester. 

Calton Primary and Hatherley Infants in Gloucester and Lakeside and Warden Hill Primary in Cheltenham will increase their Reception intake by 30 so that they admit 90 children in Reception in September 2014.

The increase in pupils will be matched by additional funding because school budgets are mainly based on the number of pupils a school has on roll. This increased funding will enable the school to employ additional teachers and support staff as necessary.

Cllr Paul McLain, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Commissioning, said:

“Adding in extra school places will help us meet the rise in demand in these areas and ensure we can continue to give parents the best possible chance of getting a place at one of their local schools.

“You can apply for your primary school place for September 2014 now at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/startingprimary and you can make changes to your preferences anytime before the closing date on January 15th. Just remember to use all of your preferences and get your application in on time!”

Extra permanent school places could also be added at Dunalley Primary and Great Rissington Primary for September 2014 following statutory consultations. 

Dunalley Primary increased its Reception Year intake by an additional 30 pupils to 60 pupils in 2012 and 2013 with demand for primary school places in the area increasing. As the latest forecasts show this trend is likely to continue, the county council has recently consulted on making these extra places permanent. The final decision will be taken in February 2014.

A consultation into the proposal to permanently increase the Reception Year intake at Great Rissington Primary School from 14 to 27 has also recently closed and the feedback is currently being considered. 

The number of places would be increased in a phased way, with more places being made available as and when more families move into houses on new housing developments. The final decision on the expansion will be made in April 2014.

Some new schools are also continuing to grow year on year as part of a planned phased expansion linked to an ongoing housing development as more families move in, including Coopers Edge and Kingsway.  

You can apply online now for a school place for September 2014 at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/startingprimary 24 hours a day, seven days a week or by completing a paper form which can be downloaded from the same site or requested from the county council’s Admissions & Transfer Team on 01452 425407. 

Letters have been sent to 7,267 parents in the county with more information on applying, key dates and their child’s unique pupil number, which they will need to apply online. The system will check for errors and you will receive an email confirmation that the application has been received.