Plans to ease increased pressure on school places in Brighton & Hove have been given local backing following a public consultation while the shortlist of sites for a new school has been halved to two.

Following an unprecedented surge in numbers of school aged children in the city; the council has outlined plans to increase the likelihood that pupils will get a local school place.

The council has proposed to expand Goldstone Primary School and Westdene Primary School by 30 pupils each year or one form of entry each from 2011 along with 15 extra places - or half a form of entry - at Queens Park Primary School.

The majority of local parents, carers, governors and other interested parties who attended public meetings at each school on the proposals have supported the plans.

At all schools those in favour said they understood the need for additional places and that this would increase the chances of local children being able to gain a place at their local school. Those against the proposal raised various concerns including that of increased traffic.

Proposals for a new primary school in Hove have been narrowed down to two sites from a shortlist of four. The council proposes to explore options for providing a new two form entry primary school either on the Hove Park Depot site or the Hove Park ‘upper’ School site.

Both present their own challenges while the cost of providing a new school would be up to £8.5m. This cost does not include site acquisition costs, and with no funding allocated to this, funding would have to be identified from future capital funding allocated to the council.

Under new rules a wholly new school would be subject to a ‘competition’, which would be open to a range of bodies prepared to operate a school including the local authority and faith groups.