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Sheffield Council is planning to create space for 70 new pupils at a school it says is nearly full where more than 300 new homes are being built.

Residents are already moving into the new housing development and other new homes are ready for sale but both schools in the semi-rural area are almost at full capacity.

Wharncliffe Side Primary School, in the north west of the city, is currently oversubscribed in some year groups and the new development is expected to put further pressure on space, council officers said.

The local authority has a statutory duty to provide enough places for pupils so it is carrying out a feasibility study to consider options to deliver an additional 70 spots at Wharncliffe Side.

Sheffield Council is planning to create space for 70 new pupils at a school it says is nearly full where more than 300 new homes are being built.

This is estimated to cost £49,600 which will be funded using Section 106 money – which developers have to pay for community improvements when they build big projects.

This would increase the size of the school by 50 per cent, from 140 to 210.

In the latest capital spending report, council officers said it should also avoid more air pollution if children are able to get to school locally.

They said: “In the medium to long-term ensuring access to a local school will have a positive impact on local climate conditions by reducing travel on public transport and by car, compared to the alternative of pupils travelling out of the village.”

The feasibility study is expected to be completed by March 2023, and the new places are planned to be created by September 2024.

Plans announced to expand ‘almost full’ Sheffield school where hundreds of new homes are being built