A high school has earmarked £12m for an expansion plan, to help it cope with new homes in its surrounding area.

Wymondham High Academy currently has 1,650 pupils across its main school and sixth form.

But it is anticipating increasing demand in years to come, with the town and its surrounding areas expecting a rising number of new homes.

Norfolk County Council is therefore working up plans to expand the school, enabling it to accept around 150 extra pupils at full capacity.

The proposals will see the site enlarge into a 10-form entry school, welcoming 300 new pupils each year. 

The academy is currently a nine-form entry school, with around 270 pupils in each cohort.

Detailed plans of the redevelopment are set to be presented to the council's cabinet next month, before a full planning application can be lodged.

The project will see a new teaching block built on the site, demolition of an existing block, and the construction of a new multi-use games area.

A planning bid to do preparatory works for the expansion has already been lodged and is awaiting approval.

This phase would include widening the school's junction with Norwich Road, adding in new pedestrian routes around the school, and a new roundabout added between the academy and the Wymondham Leisure Centre.

The academy is one of two secondary schools in the town, with Wymondham College also serving the area.

Meanwhile, a new £11.5m primary school in neighbouring Silfield is also on the way. Earlier this year construction of the 420-place primary was delayed by a right of way dispute with a neighbouring landowner.

It is hoped that work on the Wymondham High expansion will be able to begin in the spring of next year.