A Cullingworth school will start building new classrooms to accommodate extra pupils this summer.

And a local councillor believes the expansion will come at the right time – as the village could see a huge rise in population if the newly proposed housing estate gets the go-ahead.

The primary school was one of a number of schools that Bradford Council has recently announced would be expanding to tackle increasing pupil numbers.

And Cullingworth Village Primary School has now been granted planning permission to build three new classrooms, expand its reception classes and create new car parking spaces.

Work is expected to start in early summer and take around a year to complete.

From September the school, on New School Lane, will go from a one form entry school to a 1.5 form entry school, meaning it can take on 45 reception children rather than 30.

Over several years the school will grow to 315 pupils, from the current 210.

Coun Simon Cooke, who represents Cullingworth on Bradford Council, said the expansion meant the area was prepared for the future, in the wake of the application for 233 houses on the Manywells industrial site in the village.

Coun Cooke said: “I’m pleased it’s gone through planning relatively smoothly. It is particularly pertinent now as there will be a need for extra spaces considering the planning application that has just been received.

“These new places are being put in place ahead of this, so for once the council is ahead of the curve.”

Headteacher Kate Sutcliffe said: “We’ll start taking on extra reception pupils in September and the numbers will grow from then.

“It is very exciting, there will be three new classrooms built and intervention rooms and the reception rooms are being extended. There will also be other developments like more car parking spaces because we will have more staff and more visitors. We feel very positive about this.

“The council went to parents a couple of years ago and asked if they supported an increase in school places and they were very supportive of it.”