CALLS have been made to ensure Knox Academy can cope with a surge in pupil numbers in the wake of the latest plans for new housing in the town.

The town’s secondary school is currently home to 745 pupils and more than 85 full-time equivalent members of staff.

However, those numbers would likely swell if plans for a further 275 homes at Letham Mains get the go-ahead.

East Lothian Council has confirmed that a school extention will be required in the coming years.

Plans for the new 275 homes, off Pencaitland Road, were revealed at the beginning of October.

Developers Taylor Wimpey East Scotland Mactaggart & Mickel Homes will now weigh up feedback from a public exhibition before deciding whether to submit a formal planning application to East Lothian Council.

Currently, work is under way on more than 800 new homes at Letham Mains. The site will also be home to a new primary school, with work due to start soon.

That primary school, which has provisionally been named Letham Primary School, will only cater for children within Letham Mains, with youngsters in the nearby Gateside and Dovecot developments going to the newly merged Haddington Primary School.

However, there are no plans for a new secondary school, with pupils in the area all heading to Knox Academy.

Paul Darling, a planning liaison officer at Haddington and District Community Council, was among those attending the display.

He had concerns about how the new housing would impact upon the high school.

He said the original plans for Letham Mains, which included the area of land now being considered for additional homes, suggested an extension to Knox Academy.

But the plans were revised for fewer homes and the extension never materialised.

Mr Darling called on East Lothian Council to confirm plans were in place for any necessary extension and let the public see them.

The community councillor said: “If you look at Knox Academy, there is plenty of room for an extension. Someone could think out of the box, you have got all that car parking and you could build a school on the second level [above the car park]. There is lots of room without taking any of the playing space away. There is plenty of space for the extension to go in but there is no mention of it.”

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said: “Additional pupil capacity and an expansion of Knox Academy will be required in the years ahead.

“All the relevant developments in the catchment will make or have made contributions towards providing this additional capacity.

“The timescale for requirement of the expansion is currently anticipated for 2024, and so plans will be developed and confirmed in due course.”