MORE than £354 million must be spent to provide 12,000 new primary school places for Surrey by 2018, according to a new report.
Many of the county's schools have already expanded to meet growing demand in their catchments and the new figures will come as a concern to parents planning to start their children's primary education in the next few years.
More than 3,000 new places have already had to be found in time for the 2014 academic year, with another 5,000 needed next year.
The figures come as Surrey County Council examines how it will meet transport demand for new places.
The report, which went to the council's environment and transport select committee last Thursday, also warned that an extra 5,000 secondary school places will be needed by 2018.
The council is already borrowing money to deliver on capital projects and it is expected this will cost about £25 million per year for the next 25 years in interest payments.
Councillor Clare Curran, Cabinet associate for children, schools and families, said the council had a plan in place to meet demand and had provided close to 100 new classes in the past three years.
She said: "The county council has a very good forecasting team which is recognised nationally for the very thorough and well-researched way it plans for future demand for school places. They have been working with the Department for Education on a plan which shows future projected demand.
"For about the last three years, Surrey County Council has been providing school places in the areas they've been needed and we have provided about 3,000 new places."
The council's school organisation plan for the next five years shows the demand in coming years will be the equivalent of building 27 new two-form-entry primary schools.
Reigate and Banstead currently has 32 primary schools, eight with nursery provision, and six secondary schools, three with post-16 provision.
Since 2010, there has been a deficit of primary school places in the borough, in September 2013 there were 96 too few Reception places in the borough.
With the problem expected to get worse, the council's figures show four more permanent Reception forms will be needed in Reigate and Banstead in the next two years to cope with increased demand.
This is on top of the 11 new classes created in the borough since September 2012.
Current figures predict Reigate and Banstead will have sufficient secondary school places until 2020.
Tandridge, which has 25 primary schools and three secondary schools, is predicted to have sufficient Reception places until September 2020.
According to figures, there are – and will continue to be – sufficient secondary school entry places in Tandridge until 2020.
While nothing has been done to create new secondary school places in Tandridge, 39 additional primary school places were created in both 2012 and 2013 in areas such as Oxted and Godstone where there is increased pressure on places due to high population numbers.
