Tackling Merton’s primary school place crisis is set to cost £60m over the next four years.
The council revealed the figure while pledging to bid for a share of a £200m Government fund to finance new classrooms - although a cabinet member has admitted that Merton’s slice of the cash “won’t translate into very much”.
Council bosses predict schools will need to provide 3,780 extra primary places in the next few years to meet a huge rise in demand.
Councillor Krystal Miller, assistant cabinet member for schools, said the council would need to look at a wide range of sources to finance the expansions.
She said: “We know that £200m won’t translate into very much. We are applying for various grants.”
New forms of entry will launch at six existing schools this September, and another 12 forms of entry are expected to open in the next few years.
The council has contacted every school in the borough to see if they are interested in taking more pupils, and Coun Miller said she expected them to respond by October when the council would draw up more detailed expansion plans.
She said parents were strongly against schools with four or more forms of entry, but the question of whether to build new schools or just expand current ones was yet to be answered.
“For each school we need to look at what is appropriate for them. At the moment residents want a mix of provision,” she said.
Plans for school expansion are set to be discussed at area forums across the borough later this year.
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