BOURNEMOUTH’S St Peter’s School will become one of the biggest in the county if plans to increase it to a huge 2,100 pupils go ahead.

Consultation is now underway for proposals to make it an “all-through” school providing education for those between the ages of four and 18.

The plans have been put forward as Bournemouth council struggles to accommodate increasing numbers of primary age children in the borough.

The aim is to provide more Catholic primary places as demand continues to grow.

Parents, staff and the local community have been invited to comment on proposals which include a number of different possibilities.

The school currently operates on two different sites in Holdenhurst Avenue, Iford and St Catherine’s Road, Southbourne.

At present Years 7 and 8 are taught at Iford and one option is to build further accommodation at the site for primary age children.

A second possibility is that Years 7 and 8 could move to the Southbourne site and the Iford site could be used just by younger students.

It is hoped that 60 reception school places will be available in September 2014 and a further 60 each year, rising to a total of 420 primary pupils by 2020.

The senior school currently offers 240 places annually to year 7 students.

From 2021 60 of those places will be taken by students already in the primary unit so the number of places available to those in other schools will drop to 180.

Headteacher David Todd and Chair of Governors Jan Wyatt have moved to reassure parents and said they welcome the expansion plans.

In a letter to parents, they said: “We believe the new facilities will support the school in its fundamental purpose of raising standards for all our pupils whilst allowing us to maintain our strong Catholic ethos.

“We will work closely with the local authority and contractors to minimise any disruption.”

A drop-in information session will be held at the Iford site on Tuesday May 14 from 4pm until 6.30pm. Consultation response forms are also available at st-peters.bournemouth.sch.uk.