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The Manor Academy, Mansfield Woodhouse, needs to accommodate 30 extra pupils from September, new papers show.

It comes as Mansfield district experiences a “shortfall” in capacity for the number of pupils going up to secondary school.

Assessments of the school site, on Park Hall Road, will review whether the school is capable of providing extra space.

The Manor Academy, Park Hall Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, is facing a 'bulge year', with more pupils needing places than spaces available. Picture: Google Maps.

Any expansion would be temporary, with extra space to support another 30 pupils in short-term classrooms.

These classrooms, papers say, would be based on the school site for five to seven years “while a bulge year passes through the school”.

The Two Counties Trust, which operates the school, will be in control of the potential temporary expansion.

The project is initially costing £20,000 from Nottinghamshire Council to assess the wider school site.

On completion of surveys, the authority says further cash will be requested to provide the extra learning spaces.

Other schools in the area were approached by the authority, it says, but this was “not successful”.

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Coun Ben Bradley, Mansfield MP, council leader, and member for the school’s Mansfield North division, said it is partly the result of shifts in birth rates leaving a higher-than-anticipated number of pupils in the current cohort.

He said: “Birth rates go up and down and there are long-term and short-term trends we manage across the system.

“In this case, we’ve got this temporary bulge and it wouldn’t be sensible to invest in long-term capacity, as we won’t need it in a few years, but I’m pleased we’re able to support this short-term challenge.

“What we have seen across the country is fewer applications – not more – into primary schools and, in a few years, this will feed into secondaries.

“We need to bear that in mind when looking at place planning.

“We don’t want to end up building lots of expensive, long-term projects now, just to find they’re empty in 10 years.

“It’s a complex picture, but I’m pleased we’ve been able to offer that short-term support and enable The Manor Academy to adapt.”

The initial £20,000 to conduct surveys of the school site has been approved by Coun Keith Girling, cabinet member for asset management.

Temporary expansion of Mansfield secondary school planned to combat ‘bulge year’