An oversubscribed special needs school could get some short-term relief if a temporary planning application is successful.

Carew Academy, in Wallington, has applied to build a "flat roof modular building" which would create two new classrooms for the next three years.

The school in Church Road is based in a Grade 2 listed manor house on the edge of Beddington Park.

It is run by the Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust and currently has more than 200 pupils between seven and 18 years old.

Carew Academy will have a new school under the Free School programme with a new purpose built school that will accommodate 246 pupils with a planned opening of September 2020.

In the meantime, the extra classrooms at the Church Road school would mean no pupils will have to attend lessons in a nearby building as is the case at the moment.

Mr Watkins said: “A proposed relocation of the school to a new larger building under the free school programme is anticipated from December 2020 to meet the growing need for special education provision in the local area, increasing student numbers to 246.

“In the interim, as a temporary arrangement, the school will have two modular classrooms located on its current site to ensure sufficient space to educate the increasing student numbers until the school relocates.”

A heritage assessment on the proposal states that any impact on the "existing built environment" would be short-lived.

The plans were validated by Sutton Council on Thursday, April 19 and a public consultation on the proposals closes on May 11.

The school's trust is also planning to open an academy in New Addington too. Earlier this month it was announced that the trust will open a free school for 150 pupils in New Addington with funding from the Department for Education.