PLANS to create an additional 150 primary school places to help Bournemouth cope with an ongoing baby boom have been approved.

In a bid to ensure there are enough reception places for September 2015’s intake, St Katharine’s Primary, Kinson Primary, Elm Academy, Jewell Academy and St Mark’s Primary will all have an additional class.

Winton Primary, one of the few sites in Bournemouth that has enough room for a substantial expansion, is also going to benefit from a £3.3m building scheme that will see it become a four form of entry primary school, eventually accommodating 840 pupils.

Bournemouth council is also considering building a “studio” primary school, a “village” school or building annexes at existing schools.

Cllr Nicola Greene, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for education, said: “We’ve got increasingly high numbers of four-year-olds coming into the school system. We need to make sure we’ve got spaces available for them.”

She also praised Winton Primary School on its recent good Ofsted rating and said this “bodes well for the future.”

Cllr Ron Whittaker, who represents Throop and Muscliff, said he had already suggested a potential site for a “village school,” that will cater for just one or two year groups.

He said: “It really is down to ward members to try and engage with the community to help us along this difficult road. It’s very difficult to find a suitable site, especially one with green space.”