WEST Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett is pushing for a second primary school in Okehampton to be built earlier than 2004.
The MP is to meet the schools minister in the next month to press the need for a second school to relieve the pressure on the current 547-pupil primary.
He said the authorities were putting the cart before the horse and building houses before the infrastructure was in place to cope with them.
'It is the problem with all development in this country,' he said. 'The houses are the first to go up and there are 800 new properties planned for Okehampton.'
Mr Burnett said in the three years he had been an MP, he had been successful in campaigning for two new schools and ten renovations.
Primary school headteacher Brian Cunningham said the school was able to cope with the immediate situation because two new classrooms would be in place by January.
It will bring the capacity of the school from 502 to 564 but Mr Cunningham added it would not help the pressure on the shared areas such as the dining hall.
Devon County Council plans to install additional temporary classrooms on site should the need for more space arise at a later stage.
'We have to be able to accommodate 150 more children for the interim period before we get a new school,' he said.
'Providing there is timely and appropriate action by the county council we should be okay but I am glad John Burnett has his finger on the pulse.'