47 new schools planned in Kent to meet demand for pupil places

More than 23,000 extra school places will be needed over the next five years to cope with a surge in births in the county.

Education chiefs say some will be created by expanding existing schools, but they are also looking at building almost 50 new primaries and secondaries in the county by 2022.

KCC cabinet member for education, Roger Gough, said: "Demand for school places has been growing for the last five years.

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"More than 10,000 primary places have already been provided by the county council.

"As demand continues to grow Kent is working hard to make the places available for more than 23,000 primary and secondary extra children who will need school places over the next five years in Kent."

Around 15,700 of these places are needed in secondary schools, while almost 8,000 spaces are required in primary schools. To meet this demand 37 primary schools and 10 secondary schools are being planned in total.

Mr Grough said for some years there had been an increase in the number of babies being born across the UK generally.

This, coupled with the number of families moving into Kent and the extra housing being built across the county, has seen the authority expand 89 primary schools and 39 secondary schools since 2010.