FOUR new classrooms are set to be built at Reedley Primary School after plans for the work were submitted.

Education chiefs at Lancashire County Council have applied for permission to build a single storey extension at the Reedley Road school.

The capacity of the school is increasing from 315 to 420, due to an increase in the birth rate in Pendle.

A county council spokesman said: “The role of the county council, as strategic commissioning authority, is to ensure that the right numbers of school places are in the right areas at the right time, in order to meet changing demand; and that sufficient finance is available to secure school places in high quality environments.

“This particular school has been identified as part of that a basic need expansion by the authority who as part of their appraisal strategy wait until at least two, and preferably three years' worth of increased demand in the area before making the decision to make proposals of permanently expanding a school.

“The reason for this policy is to ensure that permanent places are not created where temporary places would be sufficient.”

The current deficit in accommodation is being addressed with a temporary unit, which will remain in place until the extension has been built.

A number of Pendle schools have either had extensions or been rebuilt in recent years to cater for a growing demand for primary school places in the borough.