EXTRA places at Bradford’s secondary schools are being created in preparation for a surge in student numbers in the next three years.

Government forecasts predict that by September 2021 Bradford will need an extra 239 secondary school places and 102 primary school places.

The pressure on secondary schools will come from an increase in the birth rate around a decade ago. The surge in the numbers of children has meant over 9,000 extra places have been created in primary schools in the past eight years.

This wave will soon reach secondary schools, leading to many adopting measures to make space for them - including closing their sixth forms to create space for more younger pupils.

The new data shows that the shortfall in places will only affect some schools and some age groups, and that is a problem already being felt in certain Bradford schools.

It finds 48 state-funded schools in Bradford were full or had too many children in the school year 2016/17, 41 primaries and seven secondaries. These schools have a total of 463 pupils over their capacity. But across the district there are 142 schools that have room to take more pupils, with 3,645 unfilled primary school places and 5,512 at secondaries.

In 2016/17 there were 91,238 on the school roll at all primaries and secondaries. That is expected to rise to 96,966 in three years’ time.

Over the next three years Bradford Council has allocated funding to expand or build new schools to provide 1,875 more places. This does not include free schools or academies, which are funded centrally.

Carlton Bolling College is one school that has announced it is closing its sixth form, which will give it space to allow 60 extra Year 7 children each year. Plans for two new Sixth Form Colleges in the city centre mean more schools are likely to make similar decisions.

Government policies that prevent councils from opening new schools mean extra places either have to be found in existing schools, or councils have to rely on academy chains to open schools.

A Council spokesperson said: “We are working to ensure that our primary and secondary schools have the capacity to meet demand for places. Since 2010 more than 9,000 places have been created in primary schools with further places planned. We will ensure that extra places are also created in secondary schools as pupils move through the year groups.

“Several schools have plans to close their sixth forms which will create capacity for more 11-16 pupils and there are also plans for new free schools opening in the Bradford district. Bradford Council will always work to ensure the district receives the Government funding it needs to deliver on school places.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Local authorities are responsible for managing the supply of school places in their areas and we know they are doing a good job. In 2017, nearly 95 per cent of pupils received an offer for one of their top three preferences for secondary schools.”