A HEADTEACHER has spoken of the pressures his school will face if a nearby primary school decides to admit more pupils.

Chris Caldwell, Headteacher of Top o' th' Brow Primary School, Breightmet, has said he is dismayed that nearby Red Lane School may increase its admission number from 45 to 60 places, as children are becoming a "scarce commodity" in the Breightmet and Harwood area.

Bolton Executive Member for Education Cllr Linda Thomas has recommended that legal notices are published to increase the number of places available at Red Lane.

The Council Executive will decide whether to take the plans a stage further.

Both Mr Caldwell and Brian Essex the headteacher of Tonge Moor Primary School, are opposed to the plans because pupil numbers are dropping in the area. Mr Caldwell said: "The number of children in the Breightmet and Harwood area has been falling for a number of years and it is going to continue to fall.

"So for one school to put its numbers up to 60, it is inevitably going to increase the pressure on surrounding schools. Children are getting to be a scarce commodity in this area."

Mr Caldwell said there was no need to increase Red Lane's numbers as there are already enough schools to meet the needs of children in the area.

If the plans come into force, Mr Caldwell does not think it would jeopardise the future sustainability of the school as it is an integral part of the local community, carrying out a lot of work with children who find school a challenge.

The school was in the top five per cent of schools in terms of improvement pupils make between the ages of seven and 11. But he said the proposed changes at Red Lane would place an additional pressure on the school that he did not need.

He said: "It is better to share the numbers of children between the local schools. If one school is able to take a lot more pupils then children will be concentrated in just one area."

Council officers have reported that places at Red Lane are in high demand. Each year a high number of pupils are admitted on appeal because of the large amount of accommodation at the school. Generally, more than 50 children are admitted each year.

A 149 signature petition in support of the plans, signed by parents and friends of pupils at Red Lane has been submitted.

Some parents have pointed out that new families would be moving into the area so the additional places were needed.