DROVE Primary School could be greatly expanded in a bid to help meet growing demand for pupil places in the town centre.

Swindon Council needs to provide an extra form of entry – 30 reception places per year – by 2014 and another extra form of entry by 2016 due to a rise in births in the area.

The council’s original sites for possible new schools are the Broadgreen Centre, in Salisbury Street, the site of the nursery beside the Civic Offices, in Euclid Street, and land once used as a council depot, off County Road.

During an informal public consultation, Catholic schools in Swindon put forward a fourth alternative proposal for a facility for primary-aged Catholic children on an unused section of field at St Joseph’s Catholic Colleges.

Now it has been revealed that the White Horse Federation, an academy sponsor which runs several Swindon schools including Drove, has tabled a fifth proposal to extend Drove’s facility with an extra form of entry.

Coun David Renard, Swin-don Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said this would bring Drove up to four forms of entry.

He said: “A lot of people, I think, wouldn’t want to send their children to such a large primary school – you’re talking about 800-plus pupils.”

Swindon Council will hold a public meeting at the Broadgreen Centre on June 12, from 6-7.30pm.

Coun Renard said most of the options would provide one form of entry, satisfying the need only until 2014, except for the former depot site, which is big enough for a two forms of entry school, and St Joseph’s, which could accommodate either a one or two forms of entry school.

Feedback will be taken into consideration when cabinet meets on July 11 to choose a preferred option to take out to formal consultation.

Coun Renard said: “There’s a whole range of issues to be considered, like highways, access, as well as whether they’ve got public or ward member support.”