Torrevieja will begin the new school year with more prefabricated classrooms to cope with continued growth in the school population, particularly in secondary education. The council had received more than 200 applications outside the normal admissions period over the summer and expects the total to reach between 250 and 260 during the first days of September. The applications cover nursery, primary and secondary education.

An extension on land beside Mare Nostrum Secondary School will include about five units, toilets and a multi-purpose space. It will mainly accommodate pupils in the first and second years of compulsory secondary education. The facilities will initially operate as an extension of Mare Nostrum, but have been designed to expand and eventually become a delegated section, followed by the city’s seventh secondary school. Other institutes have also prepared additional classrooms.

The council says primary education has more capacity than in the previous three years, although some pupils will still be taught in temporary buildings. School number 16, which is operating at around 40% to 45% of its 600-pupil capacity, will help absorb new arrivals. Torrevieja ended the last school year with about 17,000 pupils.

The temporary accommodation comes at a cost. The regional government’s contract for six classrooms beside Mare Nostrum, including supply, installation, 36 months’ rent and removal, is worth €264,079 including tax. Municipal site preparation and other work will cost extra.