Surrey school expansion moves forward
Twenty schools are to be expanded this academic year creating 3,000 extra places by next September, under plans unveiled by Surrey County Council.
The council is working to provide 16,000 extra school places by 2018 after a 20% rise in birth rates.
It said 2,800 places had already been created in time for the start of this autumn term.
Councillor Linda Kemeny has described it as the biggest school expansion Surrey has ever seen.
Ms Kemeny, cabinet member for children and learning, said the 2,800 places created for this year and the 3,000 for next year meant nearly 6,000 of the total required will have been created by the autumn of 2014.
The council would continue to work on plans for the rest, she added.
Creating the 16,000 places will cost more than £350m, the funding for which was approved by the authority earlier this year.
The council has published a map on its website showing which schools have expanded and the number of extra places made for this autumn term and next September.