BELBROUGHTON First School will be extended to accommodate older children if planners give the scheme the go ahead.

The Bradford Lane building will be converted and extended to create a primary school as part of the Hagley review, which sees a return to the two-tier system of primary and senior schools.

If the changes are approved Belbroughton school will educate children up to the age of 11 before they go straight to high school. The application outlines plans to enlarge the site and increase play and parking areas.

Although the decision to return to a two-tier system was agreed last March, the planning application has only just been submitted to Bromsgrove District Council.

The idea to return to a two-tier system was suggested by governors at Haybridge High School in Hagley, as they believe they could raise the standards of education by taking children at a younger age.

Currently many schools are using a three-tier system of first, middle and high schools.

A county council spokesperson said: "Haybridge is one of the best high schools in the county and when they suggested that Hagley returned to the two-tier system it was because they thought they could better their results further by taking children at 11 rather than 13."

The scheme is one of a number of applications submitted by Worcestershire County Council to convert schools in the Hagley catchment area into primary schools.

Other schools looking to extend their grounds include first schools at Clent, Hagley and Romsley. The scheme will cost the county council around £5 million.

The matter will be discussed at a forthcoming meeting of the district council's planning committee.