MORE primary and high school places will be created after Ealing Council’s cabinet agreed to the expansion of Greenwood Primary in Northolt and Elthorne Park High School, Hanwell.

Greenwood is the latest to create extra places for Ealing’s expanding school population.

New building work will allow the school to increase its annual intake from 60 reception pupils to 90, eventually creating an extra 210 places across the school.

Pressures will be eased in the south of the borough with the decision to invest £12m in expanding Elthorne Park High School by two forms of entry (60 pupils).

This will allow it to admit 240 pupils every year, eventually creating an additional 300 places across the school.

The council has been increasing the number of primary school places since 2008.

Nearly 5,900 extra places have been created so far with more still needed. There are currently enough high school places in Ealing, but the pressure is expected to increase sharply in 2016 as the extra primary school pupils grow older and start to move.

On current projections, an extra 21 forms of entry, the equivalent of 3,150 high school places, will be needed by 2021.

The expansion of Elthorne Park is part of the council’s response. Consideration is also being given to expanding other high schools in the borough and building new ones to meet demand.

Councillor Binda Rai, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “I am proud of the council’s record in providing enough school places for all of the children who need them and I would like to thank the governing bodies who have worked with us to make this happen.

“We are still expanding primary schools to meet demand, but are now also focussing our attention on making sure that we have sufficient high school places for all of the children that will need them in the future. A sharp increase in high school applications is expected in 2016 so we are taking action now and investing to make sure we are ready.”

The decision was taken by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday, 21 October. All cabinet decisions are subject to call-in for a period of five working days from the date of publication of the minutes of the meeting.