A free school may be coming to Chatteris next year, if proposals from The Active Learning Trust are accepted.

The trust, which currently supports 14 schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk - including Kingsfield Primary School in Chatteris - will submit their bid to the Department of Education next month with a view to opening the school in September 2017.

The free school will serve children aged three to 11 and is expected to ease the pressure on school places in Chatteris.

It will open with one reception class of 30 pupils and grow to its full capacity of 420; while a nursery will offer a further 52 places.

A free school is a non-profit-making, independent, state-funded free to attend school which is not controlled by a local authority,

Gary Peile, CEO of The Active Learning Trust, said the new school will have a positive impact on the community.

“The trust is already working with schools in the town and feels that the new school will add considerably to its ability to meet the needs of local pupils.”

The Active Learning Trust is asking parents and carers in the area to register their support for the new school by visiting: www.activelearningtrust.org/chatteris