MULTI-million pound plans to build two new schools in Bolton have been revealed to meet an “urgent need” for classroom places.

A 900-place secondary school could be built as early as September 2019, with a 420-place primary school opened the following September.

Both schools would be built on land off Freshfield Avenue, Great Lever.

The proposals were unveiled as pressure on school places continues to increase.

Primary school desperately needs new permanent home

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “In recent years, Bolton has experienced an unprecedented increase in the demand for primary school places.

“Between 2009 and 2012 this demand was met through an expansion of primary school places.

“These pupils are now starting to move into secondary school education and we are working with a range of partners on exciting projects to meet this demand.”

The primary school, the working name of which is Great Lever Primary School, would be opened by Vantage Academy Trust, which governs the outstanding SS Simon and Jude’s School in Great Lever.

The secondary school would be sponsored by the Kings Leadership Free School with the possibility of temporary accommodation being in place while the school is being built to open in September 2019.

Chief Executive of Vantage Academy Trust, Simon Bramwell said: “The new school would be a sister school to the outstanding SS Simon and Jude School providing the same outstanding quality teaching and learning to more pupils. SS Simon and Jude’s CE, like other schools is currently oversubscribed and children in the area will benefit from a new building with state-of-the art facilities.”

“We have experience of opening free schools, with the first to be opened in Gorton this September.”

Plans are to open the primary school in September 2020, with parents being able to express their interest in sending their child there from January next year.

Mr Bramwell said there are also plans to open a nursery along with reception classes.

The two schools are being opened as free schools, which means they are run by organisations. Local authorities are no longer able to open their own school under current government policy.

But education stressed they would be a part of Bolton’s family of schools.

A council spokesman said: “Kings Leadership has very strong values which underpin the way that they approach education and they were keen to get a greater presence in the North West.”

The council admits that there is likely to be a need for a further secondary school by September 2023 but as yet there is no funding to “deliver this”.

From 2009 to 2017 Bolton has seen a huge rise in the demand for school places ­— with Bolton’s primary schools currently accommodating around 5,000 additional primary school places than ten years ago. These pupils are now moving on to secondary school, placing pressures on classroom places.

Plans to build housing developments could put further pressure on schools places.

Earlier this year, education chiefs put aside money to create more than 200 extra high school places at a cost of £15 million to meet a “desperate need” for demand.

Schools which will take in an extra 30 pupils from September will be Canon Slade in Bradshaw, Sharples Academy, Thornleigh Salesian College in Sharples, Essa Academy in Great Lever, and Ladybridge High School.

Pupil numbers will increased by 39 at St Joseph’s RC High School, Horwich and 40 at Westhoughton High School. Each school will undergo a £2 to £3 million expansion programme to accommodate the extra numbers. Turton School in Bromley Cross increased numbers last year and is set to create a further 229 Year Seven places equating to 1,145 secondary places overall from Year Seven to Year 11.

But education chiefs stressed that expanding schools was more than just adding classrooms but led to improved facilities including sports and the “teaching environment”.

The primary school population is expected to rise from 28133 to 28,382 in 2021/22 and the secondary population is expected to rise from 17,942 in 2018/19 to 20,403 in 2022/23, with numbers outstripping capacity from 2020/21. Capacity is said to be outstripped in 2020/21 where numbers rise to 19,355 and spaces are 19,346.

The numbers are based on projected births and future housebuilding in the borough is said to put another increase on school places. A council report, due to be discussed next week, stated: “Rather than being evenly distributed, new residential development, particularly large scale sites will be focused in key areas where there may not be existing established social infrastructure, including schools and easily accessible school places.

“A possible future development comprising up to 4,500 dwellings in and around the Westhoughton and Hulton Park areas for instance will place great strain on an area that is presently only served by one secondary school, which is already being expanded to accommodate current pupil pressures. New residential development in this area and indeed other areas will therefore need to be appropriately supported with new schools, both primary and secondary and including a need to appropriately allocate and secure the land necessary to accommodate new schools.”