THE number of places available at one of Colchester's most popular schools is set to reduce in preparation for the opening of a brand new school.

Ranked Outstanding by Ofsted last year, The Gilberd School is consulting on changes to its admissions policy for 2021.

The changes would see the number of places available to year seven pupils go down from 324 to 300 in preparation for the opening of Trinity School, which is set to be built at the Chesterwell development in Mile End.

Over the past four years The Gilberd said it had expanded the number of places from its official Published Admission Number of 300 in order to accommodate growth in the north of Colchester.

Linda Exley, headteacher of The Gilberd, said: "This increase was always seen as a temporary measure until Trinity School opened in 2021.

"The opening of Trinity will create additional capacity in school places in the North of Colchester, hence The Gilberd School returning to its Published Admission Number of 300."

Under the new proposals, admissions to The Gilberd will be split into two priorities.

Most, or 270, will be first offered to children who have siblings or parents at the school before they are allocated by the distance between the child's home and the school.

The remaining 30 places will go to children who have a proven aptitude for music, which is determined by a test organised by the school.

Trinity School was set to open this year, however delays to the construction work mean it won't be ready until September 2021.

When it opens, it will have six forms of entry creating an additional 180 school places for year seven students in Colchester.

The new school's own draft admissions policy is awaiting approval from the Department for Education, after which it will go out to consultation.

To view the proposals for The Gilberd's new admissions policy, visit gilberd.com.

The consultation will run until Friday, January 3.

The Gilberd, Trinity School and Colchester High School for Girls are all under the control of the Alpha Trust.