A mounting crisis in Spalding’s primary schools means that a new one could be built in the town.
Many of the town’s schools are nearing capacity and there is a fear children starting school in the next few years could lose out on the best education due to overcrowding.
Parents could also find themselves driving their four-year-olds to primary schools in villages outside of Spalding because of a lack of reception places in town.
But the local education authority admits it has been forced to go back to the drawing board to look at what options are available after plans for an extension at Spalding Primary School, in Woolram Wygate, were turned down last month.
A spokesman said all viable options are now being considered, including the possibility of building a brand new school to cater for the hundreds of extra pupils expected to require a reception place in 2013.
It is thought an extra 210 places will be needed at Spalding Primary School alone. An annexe school on land near to Spalding Primary School could also be considered.
The projects would be part-funded by S106 money from developers of new housing estates in the Wygate area of town, which are expected to increase demand for places.
People moving to the area and an influx of migrant workers, as well as an increased birth rate, are also blamed for making Spalding one of the county’s worst “pressure points”.
But Lincolnshire County Council has come under fire for doing too little too late as a number of children will face starting their school days in September 2012 being taught in mobile classrooms as schools struggle to accommodate them.
Spalding Primary School will take on an extra 20 pupils in September and mobile classrooms are expected to be installed over the summer holidays. Other schools have also seen their September intake grow, putting pressure on teaching resources.
South Holland district councillor who the Wygate ward, Roger Gambba-Jones, who campaigned against plans to extend Spalding Primary School amid traffic concerns, said: “A new primary school is the only option as extending other schools in Spalding to meet the demand will just exacerbate the traffic problems that exist at many of them already.”
l Spalding Primary School mobile classrooms’ row: Page 11