WORK on long-awaited new classrooms at Chippenham's largest primary school looks set to start next year.

King's Lodge School has been waiting more than 10 years for its mobile classrooms to be replaced.

Now Wiltshire county councillors are being asked to agree that money from selling land at Hardenhuish School can be used to pay for the £1.5m six-classroom extension.

The council's cabinet is expected to give the go-ahead when it meets on Tuesday.

The scheme will then go into the council's capital programme, which will be finalised when the budget is fixed in February.

The extension will allow some of the school's nine mobiles to be replaced. They currently house 11 classes, the staff room, library, resources room and community room.

Chief education officer Bob Wolfson said: "Subject to Cabinet approval, it will be a six-classroom extension which would be completed around September 2003.

"We will not be able to remove all the huts and the long-term aim of the head, governors and ourselves is that the school roll will be smaller."

The school, which is Wiltshire's largest primary school, currently has 523 pupils, but it is intended to reduce that number to 420.

Mr Wolfson said: "That is considered to be the perfect size which would give two classes of each age group. If we achieve that we have got it right.

"If Cabinet gives its approval, it will be good news for the school and for Chippenham."

County council leader Peter Chalke has personally pledged the Hardenhuish land sale money will fund the King's Lodge extension.

He confirmed yesterday he was standing by his pledge. He said: "I am still sticking by what I said."

Headteacher Jane Ratcliff said: "The governors and the school have been working very hard over the last 10 years, but particularly since our last Ofsted report when the accommodation was a key issue.

"We are looking forward to a positive decision from the full Cabinet."

The school is known as mobile city, and it is not possible to bring all pupils together for assemblies or events, as there is nowhere big enough to house them.

Mrs Ratcliff said: "I hope to have positive news to put into the parents' newsletter on December 19, following a Cabinet decision on the 18th."

She said having the children under one roof for the first time ever would be a major advantage to their education. The only place pupils can currently be brought together is the playing field.