ONE of Malmesbury’s best loved primary schools is at a cross-roads, as it decides whether to undergo a major expansion.

There is no easy decision for Malmesbury Church of England Primary School.

Either they expand by 210 pupils, which would increase the school by a third, or they allow another school to be built elsewhere in town, which could split children from the same family into separate schools.

The need for extra primary places in Malmesbury comes as a result of the Dyson expansion, which will draw hundreds of new jobs to the town.

School places were already squeezed until recently, and they looked set to be squeezed again once Dyson welcomes new workers to the factory.

Malmesbury has dealt well, most would say, with the inevitable growth of the engineering behemoth in the town, but more needs to be done.

The school is quite rightly taking the process slowly, as the decision of whether to expand or not will affect the makeup of the school for years to come.

Finding funding to support the expansion will be another hurdle the school must clear, and they have reportedly put the feelers out for investors already.

Sooner or later the town will be crying out for these primary school places, but it is yet to be seen in what form that call will be answered.