TWO new classrooms will be installed at a primary school to meet expected growth.

St Andrew’s Primary School in Shifnal will have the extra classrooms added over the summer.

They are being funded by Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money, a charge Shropshire Council puts on new developments, which is then used to help infrastructure in the area.

The announcement comes as two new classrooms were officially opened at Shifnal Primary School this week.

Parents, pupils, governors and council officials gathered at the school for the official opening.

The classrooms have been in operation since the beginning of the current academic year, and are needed to meet the increased demand for school places resulting directly from the increased housing development in the town.

The classrooms were also fully funded through CIL, a charge paid by housing developers to Shropshire Council to help fund essential infrastructure directly resulting from this housing growth.

Building work at St Andrew’s will start on site in the summer and will be completed in August, in time for the pupils returning to school in September.  

Nick Bardsley, Shropshire Council’s deputy cabinet member for education, said: “We’re delighted that the new classrooms at Shifnal Primary School are being officially opened.

“The expansion of the school places relates directly to the increased housing in the town and so it is pleasing to see that this additional education infrastructure – funded 100 per cent by housing developers – is meeting an essential local need.”

Adam Farrington, headteacher of Shifnal Primary School, added: “The additional classrooms will make a huge difference in meeting the increased demand for places at the school from families in the community, many coming from the new houses that have been built in Shifnal over the last few years.  

“The pupils and staff are very pleased with the quality of the additional provision and the positive impact this will have on educational outcomes.”