EXTENSIONS to the Bolton Road County Primary School that will almost double the number of places available have been approved by the Ministry of Education.

County Council officials have been told that the scheme will be included in the building projects to be carried out in the administrative year 1969-1970.

This is the second major extension planned to the school since it was built several years ago with an accommodation potential of 200 infants.

Approval has already been given for the construction of a further four classrooms this year which when completed, will increase the number of school places there to about 320.

Among the leaders in the campaign for the provision of more school places for infant and junior children in the area have been the members of the Black Lane Owner Occupiers Association, and the expansion of the Bolton Road school has for long been one of their aims.

A deputation from the Association recently met Mr Percy Lord, the Lancashire County Education Officer at Preston to press their case for more school accommodation in view of the tremendous growth in the population of the area during the past few years, and the expansion planned for the future.

At the present time residents of Moss Shaw and the Bradwen Park estates, who make up the bulk of the membership of the Association are unable to send their children to the Bolton Road school because they are just out of the official catchment area for the school.

Children from homes on the south side of Turks Road are accepted at Bolton Road but those who live to the north of it must attend either Wesley Methodist or one of the overflow schools nearer the Radcliffe town centre.

The Association is campaigning vigorously for major extensions to the Wesley School also, but its interest in the Bolton Road school is two-fold. It wants a breaking of the catchment area so that children from the north of Turks Road may attend, and failing that the enlargement of the Bolton Road school will mean that children who should geographically be attending Bolton Road, but who for lack of places there have been placed at Wesley School will be transferred to Bolton Road, making more places available at Wesley.

The Bolton Road school, first to be built in the town for 25 years was completed in 1958. It includes six classrooms, hall, dining room, kitchen and ancillary accommodation. There are now about 270 pupils in seven classes, one of which is held in the hall.

Proposed additions to the school for the 1969/70 year are a further four classrooms, a further main hall, a further dining hall and ancillary facilities.

Total cost of the four classrooms already approved and the new development is likely to be somewhere