A SCHOOL is fighting to keep a temporary classroom in place as it braces itself for an influx of new pupils in the coming years.
Braiswick Primary School houses 30 Year 6 pupils inside the demountable structure west of the main school building in Apprentice Drive, Colchester.
The structure was previously built to help cater for a bulge year group.
But planning permission for the construction is due to expire, raising concerns about how many youngsters the school can take on.
Popular school - Braiswick headteacher Claire Russell, in yellow, with deputy head Carla Lillicrop and pupils (Image: Newsquest)
Essex County Council has now applied to its own planning bosses on the school’s behalf to retain the building until August 2028.
Documents submitted as part of the bid state County Hall expects reception intake sizes in north Colchester to increase year on year for the next decade.
Braiswick Primary School was forecast to have space for 60 reception pupils in its 2023/24 intake but there were only ten available in June.
A planning document reads: “The increase in demand during the forecast period is driven by expected new housing across the planning group.
Exciting - pupils visit Braiswick Primary School as works continued to build it in 2015 (Image: Newsquest)
“[This] includes further development on the Chesterwell site as well as development on the former Rugby Club site.”
The number of pupils in schools in the Colchester North Planning Group sat at 4,044 in January and is expected to rise to 4,164 by 2032.
Braiswick Primary School was opened in 2015 after the county council said there was a demand for more school places in Colchester.
A County Hall planner now says “it cannot be considered prudent” to remove any existing buildings which help mitigate capacity pressures.
Construction - Braiswick Primary School was built in 2015 in response to pressure on places in Colchester (Image: Newsquest)
“Therefore, the relocatable classroom at Braiswick Primary School is required throughout the forecast period, to sustain the current number of places being delivered,” they added.
“Retaining it on site not only contributes to ECC being able to meet its statutory duty to secure sufficient school places, but also helps to ensure parental demand continues to be satisfied as pressure on places within the planning group starts to grow.”
Families can have their say on the plan in a consultation which runs until July 28 by visiting bit.ly/3NNjKVv.
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