COUNTY education chiefs have warned that secondary schools are next in line to be hit by a huge fall in the birth rate affecting Kent.

Kent County Council’s assistant director of education Dr Ian Craig said secondary schools were already beginning to be affected by the falling birth rate and the education authority had embarked on a review of its secondary school strategy to deal with the looming problem.

The education authority’s most immediate problem is confronting the fact there are more than 14,000 surplus places in its 400-plus primary schools.

But Dr Craig told county councillors on Thursday: "The dip in primary schools is going to start getting into secondary schools this September. There are 800 fewer children moving into our secondary schools next year. That is beginning to worry secondary schools."

Discussions were already underway among headteachers about how they could deal with the issue, he said.

"I am meeting with them to discuss how we have a similar debate about surplus capacity."

While the situation was not as pressing as that facing primary schools, where there are more than 14,000 surplus places, the county council believes it is inevitable that this will feed into the secondary sector in years to come.

Dr Craig told members of KCC’s Schools Advisory Board said Kent was dealing with the issue of a falling birth rate at the same time as having to build new schools in "growth" areas such as Kent Thameside in north Kent and south Ashford.

"It is likely we will building new schools at the same time as surplus places are increasing in other parts of Kent. We have growth at the same time as a major fall in the birth rate."