The Ramsgate Free School has announced it will be staying on the Chilton Primary School site for another academic year.

It comes after the trust which looks after the two schools sent a letter out informing parents of the decision.

In September, a classroom will have been refurbished in the free school to allow it to take a second class of reception pupils.

Parents have expressed concern over the way the issue has been handled saying they cannot believe they were informed the day after children secured places at the school.

More fears were highlighted when parents from Chilton Primary suggested they didn’t know how the school would cope with the extra intake of pupils.

"Remaining in the Chilton grounds is the only feasible solution..." Executive head Michaela Lewis

The two schools share playgrounds, the dinner hall and access to school grounds.

A final worry for parents came as they suggested Chilton would be losing out on a music room to house the new reception classroom.

The Viking Academy Trust Partnership joined Upton Junior School, Chilton Primary and the Ramsgate Free School together last month.

Trust exectuive head teacher Michaela Lewis said: “There has been a long period of consultation and it became clear that remaining in the Chilton grounds is the only feasible solution.

“In an ideal world the school would have been ready but this is circumstances way beyond our control.

“There has been a delay in planning but we weren’t given a reason why.

“In terms of the parents, I can completely understand the hesitancy over this but it is not another mobile coming on to the site.

“The Department for Education is going to refurbish the room for the new class to use.

“We are really lucky at Chilton to have a specialist music teacher already here and the school is big enough for the lessons to be delivered elsewhere.

“Timetable changes have also been made to ensure students can use the hall at different times.

“Outside space time has been carefully considered and reception and key stage one will be working together and the junior school shouldn’t be impacted because it is on a different play area.

"Every child on the Chilton site will receive the school experience they deserve..." Trust chairman Bob MacFarlane

“Our duty of care as education professionals is to the children and we are staying in the current location as we believe a move to another temporary site would have been massively detrimental to their education.

“The changes have been made to impact them as little as possible.”

Ramsgate Free School was set up by the Chilton Academy Trust and opened in September 2015.

It is housed in mobile classrooms on the Chilton Primary School site.

The new site based at 140-144 Newington Road, was predicted to be ready in mid-2016.

Viking Academy Trust chairman Bob MacFarlane said: “The trust leadership team is developing procedures and routines to ensure that every child on the Chilton site receives the school experience they deserve, including changes in playtime provision from reception through to Year 6.”