A primary school in east Suffolk has disputed council claims that it is over-subscribed and called upon the authority to update its figures before distributing potentially damaging information.

Suffolk County Council in its response to a Framlingham housing application, said Sir Robert Hitcham’s Primary School was “already over-stretched” and additional dwellings may cause “significant problems”.

The school, however, claims the information is outdated and insists it has spare spaces in every year group.

With competition amongst schools increasing as parents make more informed decisions about their children’s education, headteacher, Helen Picton, said such misinformation could be harmful to the school.

“We are up against a very fast-flowing tide and so it’s important that information is updated regularly before it’s distributed,” she said.

“Although we’ve been full in the recent past, we currently have capacity across every year group and if numbers dip further that has an impact on our budget.”

Mrs Picton said the declining demand on school spaces had been caused by a “demographic quirk” in last year’s intake, which was below average, as well as a general trend that families are moving away from the area and not being replaced.

Although the school’s future intake remained uncertain, she said the governing body was working with Framlingham’s Neighbourhood Plan to prepare for what may come.

The school is holding an open day on November 7 from 10am-2pm.

Suffolk County Council was unable to respond to requests for comment.