A SOUTHAMPTON school is urging the council to take action after a major housing scheme has been blamed for a drop in the number of pupils.

Governors at Townhill Infant School said the school’s intake has fallen by 35 children this year, affecting year R classes.

The pace at which families are being moved out of their flats as part of the Townhill Park regeneration scheme has been blamed for the drop.

Governors said too many buildings have been emptied but not enough new flats have been built in the area.

It comes as block of flats in Townhill Park are being demolished to make way for 665 new homes .

The school is now urging Southampton City Council to step in.

Headteacher Bev Corbin said: “All the school is asking for is to slow the rate of decommissioning. Pause it for a little while until you have had a chance to build something and move people back.That would help the school.Less children means less money so less resources.”

The school is also asking the council to work together.

It comes as governors claim they were not consulted on the scheme and were not told what impact it would have on the school.

As reported, the project unveiled in 2012 was delayed due to the “complexity” of the site and the first 56 homes were completed in July this year.

Steve Gibbs, one of the governors, said: “Our main worry is that they knock all the houses down and they won’t build them for another ten years. At the moment we just don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I would like an answer to why they didn’t consult with the school initially. I suspect someone has just forgotten and now we have a problem. The bit that is difficult for us is that there has not been communication with the council.”

Cllr Dan Fitzhenry, opposition leader , said the council should immediately support the school.

At a meeting held last week Councillor Satvir Kaur, cabinet member for homes, said the education team at the council will be working with the school to determine how much the reduction in pupils is due to the regeneration scheme.

She also acknowledged that communication with residents needs to be improved.

After the meeting the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Councillor Kaur and the city council if they will slow the rate of decommissioning.

In a statement the authority said: “ Community engagement has and will continue to be key to the project’s success; we have worked closely with the SO18 Big Local residents’ group and welcomed opportunities to involve local schools in our conversations. The Townhill Park Forum, which SO18 Big Local chairs,meets quarterly, and representatives from both Townhill Park Junior and Infant schools are invited to all these meetings. We’re looking forward to sharing a more detailed project plan with the local community, and receiving their feedback, before the end of the year.”

As reported, residents are expected to be shown a detailed plan in December.