BOURNEMOUTH council made a last-minute decision to create extra school places for this September after it emerged that some pupils would have a six-mile trek to school.

In the week that primary school places were offered to parents, Bournemouth council found itself with a shortage of spaces, particularly in the town centre and south eastern areas.

Faced with the prospect of pupils being allocated a place at a school more than six miles from their home, the council took emergency action and decided to create an extra class at St Michael’s Primary and at the new Avonwood Primary for this September.

Despite this action, Bournemouth still had one of the lowest rates in the country for parents getting their first choice school. Just 80 per cent of the 2,025 applications for reception class places were allocated their first choice school and just over 100 children were not offered any of their three preferences. Many of these - 56 children - were allocated places at Kingsleigh Primary School, where there were spare places.

Work will now be undertaken to convert an existing room and a medical room at St Michael’s into a classroom so the school can accept 120 reception pupils in September.

Avonwood Primary, where pupils are currently in temporary classrooms while the new school is being built, will take a total of 90 reception pupils this September, instead of the original 60.

The last-minute decision, signed off by education cabinet member Cllr Nicola Greene, explained the council received a “higher than expected” number of applications for reception places.

And it said there were problems with four schools that could not cater for pupils living within its catchment area. This could have had financial repercussions for Bournemouth council’s budget, as the council can be asked to contribute to transport costs for children sent to schools over two miles from their homes.

Cllr Greene, who is also deputy leader of the council, was not available for comment. But Jane Portman, Bournemouth council's executive director for adults and children, said: “We have been consulting closely with schools and their governing bodies and the wider community and believe that the expansion of St Michael’s and Avonwood offers the best solution to meet the need for reception places in 2015/16.

“The demand for school places is putting tremendous pressure on both the existing school estate and council resources. Through careful and detailed planning we have been able to meet this demand by looking at all suitable options available to us and will continue to monitor the situation here in Bournemouth.”