Caps have been placed on the school rolls of some near or over-capacity Inverness schools for the 2019/20 academic year.
Holm, Lochardil, Kinmylies and Milton of Leys primary schools are affected, and Charleston, Culloden and Millburn Academies will have a limit placed on the size of their S1 intake.
Highland Council said the capping takes account of the applications that have been received so far, and the known demands within the catchment areas of each school.
For session 2019/20, Millburn Academy will be capped at 205 S1 places, Charleston Academy at 145 S1 places and Culloden Academy at 205 S1 places.
The primary schools are being capped for the second year running.
The local authority also said it would do its best to accommodate all pupils in their preferred choice of school.
A council spokeswoman said: “Priority will be given to children within a school’s catchment area, and then to siblings of pupils already in a school. If they do not meet this criteria then they will be offered a place at the nearest school that has available spaces.”
Culloden Academy’s forecast for 2019/20 is 196 S1 pupils, with the school at 109% capacity.
In Millburn, 211 S1 pupils are forecast, putting the school at 96% capacity, with its feeder primary Milton of Leys also almost at capacity.
Charleston Academy is forecast to have 153 S1 pupils next year pushing it to 90% capacity. Its feeder primary Kinmylies is already over capacity.
For local councillors, the situation is not new.
Ken Gowans, Inverness South said it highlighted the need to review planning policies to stop pressures on all aspects of local infrastructure.
He said: “Sadly, the school caps are not unexpected given the accelerated and unplanned development that has been allowed to continue.
“Developers are routinely developing sites with over 25% more houses than the plan suggests.
“This has been, and continues to be unsustainable, placing pressures on all aspects of local infrastructure, not least school capacities. It is high time planning policies were reviewed.”
Trish Robertson, Culloden and Ardersier, said the cap on Culloden S1 was ‘gravely concerning.’
She said: “It’s going to take several years and more demountables to sort out the problem.
“But the more demountables you have, the more playground space you lose.
“Credit to the school, the pupils aren’t feeling the strain, although it gets a bit tight at break time.”
Duncan Macpherson, Inverness South said classrooms would become available with the roll out of the Scottish Government’s Early Years programme, which has ring-fenced funding.
He said: “More nurseries and extensions for P1 and P2 will be built, freeing up classrooms.”
