Great Bentley: Village children unable to get places at school
ThinkstockA village school is so oversubscribed that children who live next door to it cannot get a place, a headteacher said.
Children are having to travel almost five miles to go to school as Great Bentley Primary School, Essex, is full.
Headteacher Tracey Caffull told Essex County Council's planning committee the school was "unable to meet the demand for the village".
Plans have been submitted to the local authority for additional classrooms on the site.
The proposed expansion primarily involves the construction of a new building accommodating seven classrooms. It would create an additional 210 pupil places at the school.
It comes as the school faces increasing pressure for places, including from the council wanting the school rated "outstanding" by Ofsted to take children mid-year.
Ms Caffull said: "As a school our job is to educate and serve our community, and currently with our current size we are unable to teach all the children of our village."
Essex County Council planning committee member, Mike Hardware, said: "My personal view is the plans are ugly. It's an opportunity missed. We have a duty with our young people to inspire. That building wouldn't inspire anyone to anything."
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