A Cullingworth primary school will start building classrooms to accommodate extra pupils this summer.

And a local councillor believes the expansion will come at the right time as the village could see a large rise in population if a newly-proposed housing estate gets the go ahead.

The primary school was one of a number of schools that Bradford Council has recently announced would be expanding to tackle increasing pupil numbers.

And Cullingworth Village Primary School has now been granted planning permission to build three classrooms, expand its reception classes and create extra car parking spaces.

Work is expected to start in the early summer and take about a year.

From September the school, on New School Lane, will go from a one-form entry to a one-and-a-half-form entry school, meaning it can take 45 reception children rather than 30.

Over several years the school will grow to 315 pupils from the current 210.

Councillor Simon Cooke, who represents Cullingworth on Bradford Council, said the expansion meant the area was prepared for the future. Last week plans were submitted for 233 houses on the Manywells Industrial site in the village.

Coun Cooke said: “I’m pleased it’s gone through planning relatively smoothly. It is particularly pertinent now as there will be a need for extra spaces considering the planning application that has just been received.

“These new places are being put in place ahead of this, so for once the Council is ahead of the curve.”

Headteacher Kate Sutcliffe said: “We’ll start taking on extra reception pupils in September and the numbers will then grow from then.

“It is very exciting. There will be three new classrooms built, intervention rooms and the reception rooms are being extended. There will also be other related developments like more car parking spaces because we will have more staff and more visitors. We feel very positive about this.

“The building will probably take about a year.

“The Council went to parents a couple of years ago and asked if they supported an increase in school places and they were very supportive of it.”

As well as the 233 houses, the new planning application by Barratt David Wilson Homes Yorkshire West will include 15,000 square feet of new commercial units. A decision is expected in late May.