Bulge class so Hassocks' Downlands School can take on more pupils

Increasing pupil numbers in the area have prompted the council to provide a ‘bulge class’ of 30 children at Downlands School from this month and from September 2023.

Officers said there were not enough places within the area for pupils starting secondary school, so governors agreed to accommodate a ‘bulge’.

She added: “There is an option to permanently increase the capacity of the school but it is envisaged that the new secondary provision at Burgess Hill Northern Arc will meet the need for secondary places in the locality from 2024.”

While the school will be able to fit in the new class for this year, work to set up a double modular classroom is expected to start next summer.

The work will also see two of the school’s classrooms remodelled as science and ICT rooms, extra car parking and pupil toilet facilities.