19 more classrooms installed over summer holidays to ease Bristol primary school crisis

There will be 1,000 more children starting reception in Bristol this year than just four years ago.

To meet the growing demand for reception places in the city, eleven primary schools have been forced to install 19 more classrooms.

Despite the increased applications, Bristol City Council have managed to offer 94 per cent of parents a place at one of their three preferred schools.

Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Clare Campion-Smith, said: “Bristol’s growing population is evidence of a thriving city, but it does present challenges in making sure the right services are in place. This is particularly true for school places. At many city school sites, space is already at a premium, leaving limited room for development. At the same time, we face significant budget constraints, with a 60 per cent reduction in capital funding this year.”

Parents in the city worried their child will not be able to get a school place in the next few years have launched a petition on the Council’s website calling for Council Leader, Barbara Janke, to get extra funding for more places.

The cost of providing the extra school places for this year came up to £5.3m.