More than £31m government cash has been given to create new school places in Kent.

The government funding will help with the cost of building five primary schools in the county and expanding 14 others ready for September 2015.

The council is also working with 50 other schools were there is demand for more places for students.

This tops up the government funding already agreed this year and adds to the investment already being provided by the county council.

Communities in every part of the county will benefit from the extra school places being created.

The additional £31m from the Department for Education has come through ‘Targeted Basic Need’ funding, designed to help build new schools and expand existing ones.

KCC had applied for funding for 26 projects and was successful with 19 of them – bringing in £31.47m.

This will help with the cost of building five new primary schools and expanding 14 others across Kent.

The new schools will be built at Snodland, Kings Hill, Leybourne Chase, Folkestone and Sheppey.

There are also almost 50 other Kent schools involved in an expansion programme to create more places for Kent pupils.

Plans are in place to create up to a further 25 primary classes by September 2014 – while for 2015 up to 30 more primary classes will be created, dependent on need.

A further secondary school class will be created by September 2014 and eight more secondary school classes in 2015.

Roger Gough, cabinet member for education and health reform at KCC, said: “This funding boost is great news for Kent.

"Five new schools will be built in the north, east and west of the county.

"Many other projects will provide much-needed investment and new buildings to schools in towns and villages where the places are needed.

“And the investment means that it will be possible to provide extra spaces in our vitally important special schools."

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