A MULTI-million pound expansion of Westhoughton High School is expected to be give the green light today.

Education bosses have proposed to enlarge and increase the capacity of the secondary school to raise the admission number from 230 to 270 in Year Seven to meet demand for places.

The current capacity of the school is 1150 and the proposed capacity once all future years have filled will increase to 1350.

A total of £2.4 million will be spend on expanding the school but because the demand for school places, Westhoughton High School has already begun to admit higher pupil numbers.

The school is one of an number of high schools being expanded in response to pressure for Year Seven secondary school places.

If approved the admission number would increase this September.

The proposal will go the Executive Cabinet Member for Children Services today to authorise the publication of a statutory notice to increase places.

Schools being expanded to cope with demand include Turton School in Bromley Cross where work is nearing completion and Canon Slade in Bradshaw.And last week, The Bolton News revealed that a new secondary school was planned for Bolton, creating an extra 900 places

The free school could be built in Great Lever.