Harrow will be equipped to meet the challenges of the future thanks to a £70million school expansion programme on an 'unprecedented scale'.

With a dramatic increase in demand for primary school places projected, Harrow Council has secured multi-million pound funding from central government to rebuild and improve state-funded schools in the borough with councillors agreeing at a cabinet meeting on Thursday last week a preliminary report on how the next part of the project will be implemented

Harrow Council's corporate director for children and families Catherine Doran told the Observer said: “Harrow’s schools are among the best in the country, and this programme and its funding recognise that success.

"It is not just about creating places for the future. The programme is improving and modernising facilities for children and teachers right now, on an unprecedented scale.”

The schools involved are:

Cedars Manor School
Marlborough School
Vaughan School
Glebe Primary School
Stanburn First and Junior School
Pinner Park Infant and Junior
Welldon Park Infant and Junior
Krishna Avanti Primary School
Belmont School
Grange First School
Norbury School
Pinner Wood School
Aylward Academy
Cannon Lane First School
Kenmore Park First School
Newton Farm Nursery, Infant and Junior School
Priestmead Primary School and Nursery
Saint Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary School
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School
Whitchurch First and Middle Schools
Whitefriars Community

In 2006, there were 2,224 reception-aged children in Harrow. By 2016 however it is estimated that there will be 3,291, meaning the borough will have to cater for an extra 1,000 children.

The borough has already been stretching to meet this increased demand by creating extra temporary classes – each containing 30 pupils – in schools, with five temporary classes being created across 2009 and 2010, eight in 2011 and 12 in 2012.

Parents, teachers and children at Marlborough School in Marlborough Hill, Harrow, are already preparing to temporarily move into the Civic Centre next year – a short walk away in Station Road – as an entire rebuild of their school is on the cards as a part of the expansion programme expected to be completed by December 2015.

Julia Drozdowskij, head teacher at Marlborough School whose motto is For Every Child’s Bright Future, said: "We are all looking forward to helping shape each of our children’s bright futures in a new, purpose built school, which will only serve to enhance the education which the children currently receive."

Conservative leader of the council Councillor Susan Hall said: “We are extremely grateful for the generous funding of £70million from the government, which will enable us to plan ahead and endeavour to provide every child in Harrow with a fair start in life with a place at a good, local school.

“By getting on with the expansion immediately we will hopefully be able to deliver these much-needed additional places in good time for our students.”