Island schools have agreed to take on extra pupils next year after a meeting over places.

Sheppey education facilities are now using up surplus availability to cope with demand.

Last month, we reported how the nearest available place offered to Eastchurch five-year-old Alesha Webb was 18 miles away in Faversham.

She was one of 12 on a waiting list who have now been enrolled on Sheppey after a meeting between Kent County Council (KCC) and local schools on June 10.

Marisa White, area education officer at KCC, said: “Schools are allowed to take more pupils than their published admission number and each school will consider the physical size of the classrooms and the capacity of the school to admit additional pupils.

“In calculating the need for additional school places, our projections always include a factor for inward migration as well as new housing.

“The rate of new families moving onto the island has increased considerably over recent months.

“Although we always plan so that we will have surplus capacity within schools at all times wherever possible, the recent increase of children requiring a school place on the Island has reduced the surplus capacity, particularly for places in Years 1 and 2.”

Minster Primary is admitting 90 children, one extra class, or 30 children above its usual 60 this September.

This has happened in the two previous years meaning it will have three year groups with an additional form of entry.

The library has been relocated to create an additional teaching space.

Eastchurch Primary, in Warden Road, will increase by one class in reception in September.

Queenborough Primary will create 10 permanent places in its reception class this September.

Permanent places are planned when Halfway Houses moves to the former Danley Middle School site. However the Department for Education (DfE) has scheduled to release money from its priority schools building programme next year.

In the long term new facilities could be built at the Thistle Hill estate in Minster and in Rushenden where new housing developments are being carried out.

KCC has applied for a share of the Targeted Basic Need fund from the DfE to help pay for permanent slots and will hear in the coming weeks whether it has been successful.