Bradford Council has started a consultation over plans that would see 160 extra places for pupils with special educational needs created at local schools.

In total, 10 schools around the district will be expanded to either create a new specialist provision or expand the existing numbers of places.

If the plans go ahead, 126 full-time places and 34 part-time places will be created at nurseries, primary schools and specialist schools by mid April.

The number of Bradford children who have been diagnosed with having special educational needs and disabilities has been rising in recent years, partly due to faster diagnosis of young people with conditions like autism.

Many pupils with additional needs are currently taught in mainstream schools, but the council has decided that the needs of these children would be better met in specialist provision. Last year, the Bradford Schools Forum decided to move money from mainstream school budgets to make 360 spaces at schools with a specialist provision.

Now details of how some of these spaces will be formed have gone out to a four week consultation.

Chellow Heights Special School in Heaton will increase the number of places from 200 to 248 and Delius Special School in Barkerend will increase spaces from 124 to 148.

Oastler Special School in Bowling will increase spaces from 80 to 94.

A new specialist provision for up to 12 children with conditions like autism will be created at Crossley Hall Primary on Thornton Road, and a provision for 10 children with emotional and mental health needs will be created at Cottingley Village Primary School.

Twenty part-time spaces for two to five year olds with educational needs will be created at Abbey Green Nursery in Manningham.

The number of spaces for children with autism at Crossflatts Primary will rise from 12 to 16, and the number of spaces for children with learning difficulties at Titus Salt School in Baildon will rise from 16 to 30.

Seven extra part-time early years specialist spaces will be offered at St Edmunds Nursery School in Girlington and an extra seven part-time places will be created at Canterbury Nursery School.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Bradford has a growing population and we know that there is a growing need for more specialist places in our schools.

“We are working closely with schools in the district to achieve this. There is a shared commitment from the council and schools to ensure that the needs of these pupils can be met.”

These proposed new places will be followed by two purpose built free schools built within the Bradford district in the next few years. One free school is expected to open in the south of the district and one in the north. Both will have around 170 pupils.