A consultation on plans to expand Roecroft Lower School in Stotfold by 150 places opened yesterday.

The proposal to expand the school from its current capacity of 300 places to 450 places for September 2015 is aimed at meeting growing demand.

It follows a decision taken by Central Bedfordshire Council’s executive last month to relocate 60-place Pippin Pre-School.

The pre-school, which was given an ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted inspectors, will remain within the grounds of Roecroft.

Councillor Mark Versallion, responsible for children’s services at the council, said: “With a growing population in Central Bedfordshire we estimate our school population could increase by 6,000 over the next five years and a key role for the council is to ensure that all our children have a place at a local school.

“At the heart of all our work in education is a commitment to do everything we can to help our children reach their potential, both academically and in terms of their personal development.

“Our New School Places programme is a hugely important piece of work and we will spend over £100 million in the next five years to provide high quality school places in Central Bedfordshire.”

The consultation period runs until October 6 and includes a list of questions and answers. To have your say on the proposal visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations. Paper copies of the document are also available from the school.

A final decision on the proposal, which would be funded by the Basic Need Grant of the Department for Education, will be made at the council’s executive meeting in December. If approved, the new places will be ready for the start of the academic year for 2015/16.