ALMOST £10 million will be invested into expanding two schools to help ease bulging class sizes.

Next week Bradford Council is expected to give the go-ahead to the expansion of Immanuel College in Thackley and Ilkley Grammar School, funded partly with money from housing developers.

It is part of efforts to deal with the ballooning number of pupils throughout the district who will be starting secondary school in the coming years.

Council officers also believe more places will be created as Bradford schools close their sixth forms, freeing up space for more 11 to 16-year-old pupils.

At its next meeting, the Council’s executive will be asked to approve an extra £4.7 million for each school to allow them to expand in September 2018.

Immanuel will go from taking on 240 pupils a year to an intake of 300, while Ilkley Grammar goes from an intake of 261 to 300.

Under policies introduced by the Government, councils are not allowed to open new schools, either relying on academies or free schools choosing to open, or expanding existing schools to create new spaces.

A report to the executive says plans to create more places were delayed when the Government cut the amount Bradford would be allocated to find spaces from £9.6 million in 2016/17 to £727,000 in 2017/18.

This year the Government announced the grant would rise to £23.8 million in 2018/19.

The expansions will be paid for partly from this pot, and partly through section 106 money – funding provided by developers as a condition of being granted planning permission.

The report hints at other possible solutions to the looming schools places problem.

Earlier this year the Department for Education granted permission for three new schools in Bradford – two new sixth-form free schools and a girls’ academy.

The report says: “One of these impacts of the two new post-16 free schools over the next few years is likely to be the closing of sixth forms in some secondary schools where the numbers are no longer viable.

“It is likely that some former sixth form areas in some schools maybe available for expansion to caret for a greater number of 11-16 aged pupils.

“This, coupled with further secondary free schools the Council understands may be planned, is likely to mean the Council is unlikely to need to build a new secondary school.”

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