BOURNEMOUTH council has ruled out new grammar schools in its push to prepare for rising demand in secondary school places.

Cabinet member for education, Councillor Nicola Greene, said demand for primary school places had risen by more than 48 per cent since 2008, due to inward migration and a rising birth rate.

However, responding to a question from Cllr Ian Clark at a full council meeting, she said the Government had stipulated any new schools should be part of the free schools programme, which is non-selective.

At the meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Clark said the government had announced it was "open-minded" on new grammar schools being opened in future.

"Bournemouth is going to need an increase in secondary places in the next few years and an extra grammar school or expansion for the current Bournemouth grammar or Bournemouth School for Girls would go some way towards fulfilling the extra places required," he said.

"Can I ask if grammar schools will be considered as an option for expanding secondary school places?"

Cllr Greene said: "The Department of Education has made it clear that the first consideration when looking to increase school places is the provision of a new free school.

"Bournemouth has been successful in working with Aspirations Academies Trust to attract funding for the new Livingstone Academy, an all-through free school which could open as early as September 2017.

"Any new grammar school provision would have to be created through the free schools programme, which currently would not allow for a new selective school of this sort."

She said the authority had invested more than £85 million in the borough's schools in a bid to cope with the increased pressure for places, of which £60 million has gone into the primary school estate and £25 million into Bourne Academy and the Bishop of Winchester secondary schools via the Building Schools for the Future fund.

"This pressure on places will begin to impact on secondary schools from September 2018," she said.

"The council has been preparing for this for some time and has worked closely with all schools in the borough."

Also, she said a case could be made for expanding the existing grammar schools in Bournemouth, which have a high demand for places, but both are academies and in charge of their own admissions policy.