MORE than 130 children could be without a place at a Chelmsford primary next September as schools reach breaking point.
Essex County Council predicts that a housing development boom and increased migration into the city means there will not be enough places for four and five-year-olds starting school next year.
County councillor Ray Gooding, cabinet member for education and lifelong learning, told the Chronicle: "As in many areas of the county and across the country, there is predicted to be significant pressure on pupil places.
"In Chelmsford in the region of four additional forms of entry will be required over the next few years. We have been working with the schools in the locality to address this need and whilst the demand for additional places has been made harder by the restraints on public expenditure, new places for new children remain a high priority."
A decision is to be made on May 20 whether to go ahead with plans to set up a new city centre primary, possibly Chelmsford's first free school at the former site of the Columbus School on Maltese Road, ready for September 2015, which will be run by King Edward VI Grammar School.
Further discussions on June 24 will decide whether to give the go-ahead to the building of a brand new 420-place primary on the extended Beaulieu Park estate, just off White Hart Lane, where longer term, a secondary school could also be built.
Both of these would be sponsored academies or free schools.
This month approval is also likely for a proposed expansion of three of the city's most popular schools – Moulsham Infants and Juniors and Oaklands – to provide more places in one of the most residential parts of the city.
Government funding to the tune of £2 million has already been granted to expand these three schools to provide more places. More than £300,000 will go to Oaklands Infant School in Vicarage Road where the plan is to increase places from 150 to 180 from September 2015, which would be spread across each of the three year groups.
The Academy Trusts for Moulsham Infants in Princes Road will decide whether to up the number of places in reception from 90 to 120 from September 2015.
By 2017 this would see the school increase from 270 to 360 places, with new classrooms built on site to accommodate the extra children.
Meanwhile, The Academy Trust of Moulsham Junior School has already decided to increase its numbers from 140 to 150 in September 2014 within existing buildings.
It will now decide whether to take another class of pupils in Year Three from 2018, depending on the completion of a building project.
Over the next three years the school would then grow from 600 to 720 pupils.
Both Moulsham Schools will get £828,513 of funding.
Cash has also been given to expand other Essex schools including two Witham primaries to provide 210 extra places; special schools in Benfleet and near Colchester to allow them to increase their pupil numbers by 60 each, and to provide brand new schools in Colchester and Harlow.
While current plans are most concerned with plugging the deficit in the short term, Cllr Gooding said the council would consider building a second primary school on Beaulieu Park and another in North West Chelmsford, possibly the Newlands Spring area, to help absorb demand in the future.
"Longer term forecasts from 2018 indicate that there will be further pressure on places in Chelmsford and potentially the need for additional primary school places to accommodate children from the significant housing developments proposed in the city and surrounding areas," he said.
"The number of children registered with a GP will continue to be monitored, as will the inward migration and the numbers of pupils from new housing developments, and further solutions developed as necessary."
