A primary school in an area with a fast-growing population is to be expanded to help it cope with the future number of pupils forecast.

Essex County Council’s 10-year plan to meet demand for school places indicates a sustained need for additional primary school capacity in Tendring.

The area is growing due to new families moving in, new housing developments and popularity of the schools.

The council says the expansion of Tendring Primary School is needed to meet this demand.

Expanding the school to 210 places will require the construction of a new single-storey teaching block comprising a new main entrance, secure lobby, reception desk, two classrooms, kitchen extension, studio with store, and toilets.

In January 2022, there were already a total of 850 children in the schools in the district – Engaines Primary, Rolph CofE Primary, Tendring Primary, Weeley St Andrew’s CofE Primary – which together is 28 places more than the current capacity of 822.

The 10-year plan forecasts that the schools will continue to be over capacity for the foreseeable future – in 1922/23 that number will grow to 872 which is 50 above the schools’ capacity.

A statement to Essex County Council’s cabinet due to be signed off by Tony Ball, cabinet member for education, said: “Essex County Council’s proposal to increase the size of Tendring Primary School, an Essex County Council maintained school, will ensure that children will be able to access a school place within the planning group.

“It will provide more places to meet the growing demand in the area and will enable parents to gain a place for their child at a school rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. The school is the only primary provision in the planning group over the last five years that has been consistently oversubscribed with first preference applications.

“It is highly likely that this level of demand will continue in the future, so increasing the size of the school will allow more parents to be offered their first preference school place.”