A total of 23 new classrooms have opened their doors to pupils in Edinburgh as the Council tackles the increasing number of children enrolling in schools.

The local authority invested £8m on creating new high quality classrooms at Towerbank, Corstorphine, Granton, Trinity and Wardie Primary Schools, while additional class spaces have also been created at a further six schools.

The expansion means up to 750 new pupil places have been created across Edinburgh.

Towerbank Primary School had £4m spent on new facilities with the work consisting of eight new and refurbished classrooms and a separate 40/40 nursery building.

Corstorphine Primary School received an investment of £2m and the works consist of a new dining hall, activity space, kitchen, two new classroom spaces, breakfast club room and general purpose room.

Due to the increase in the number of pupils enrolling, £2m has been spent on the extensions to the other three primary schools. Trinity Primary School has four new classrooms, Wardie Primary School has three new classrooms and Granton Primary School has two new classrooms.

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In addition, the temporary units at James Gillespie's and Blackhall have been refurbished, while extra space has been created at James Gillespie's, Holy Cross, St Mary's Leith, Craigour Park and Oxgangs to allow for more pupils.

The new accommodation at Granton, Trinity and Wardie Primary Schools has been carried out with partners Hub South East Scotland and Morrison Construction.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "Many local authorities across the United Kingdom are struggling to find sustainable solutions to the increase in pupil numbers.

"In Edinburgh, primary school rolls are predicted to rise by 19% by 2020 – bringing our primary school population to over 31,000. That's why the Capital Coalition has pledged an extra £15m to tackle the issue.

"The foundations we are laying here in Edinburgh demonstrate that the capital is prepared for the complex challenges that lie ahead. We believe our approach allows us the flexibility to plan much better for the future, and we are working with school communities and parent councils as we move forward. Whether or not it is traditional extensions, new built units or the refurbishment of existing space, we are committed to providing the very best educational environment for our pupils."

The Towerbank and Corstorphine extensions have been planned for a number of years but the others are as a result of a unique approach taken by the Council to deal with rising school rolls.

Wardie Primary School also has planning permission for a further two classes, while Granton Primary School has planning permission for two further phases which would deliver five more classes if and when required.

The Council has already identified five more primary schools where new extensions may be required for the 2014/15 session to meet the increased demand from catchment pupils and are already starting to plan for the delivery of these for August 2014 should they be needed.

(JP/CD)