Two prominent English-medium schools will increase pre-nursery intake from the next academic session.

Loreto House will add an extra section, creating 40 additional seats, while St Xavier's Collegiate School will increase the strength of each of its five sections, taking in 50 more boys.

"We will have 40 more seats at pre-nursery. At present, we have 80 students in two sections," said Nandini Bhattacharjee, education director, Loreto South Asia.

"There is a huge demand, but we did not have enough space to accommodate extra sections. The Sisters have kindly vacated their community quarters, giving the school more space to grow and cater to the demand of the parents," said Bhattacharjee.

Children are at least three years old when they begin school in April. Most schools invite applications in July-August, with the admission process concluding several months later.

St Xavier's Collegiate School, which introduced Lower Kindergarten (3+) in 2024, will increase its intake by 50 seats from the 2027 academic session, a school official said.

"We started with 30 students in each of the five sections. We had space for more children in each classroom; however, we wanted teachers to familiarise themselves for a couple of years before adding more seats," said Father Roshan Tirkey, principal, St Xavier's Collegiate School.

From the 2027 academic session, the school will increase its Lower Kindergarten intake to 200 from 150.

For 150 seats, we receive around 1,500 to 1,600 applications. Selecting just 150 children is difficult. We give preference to those living within a specified distance of the school, children of alumni and siblings of existing students, said Father Tirkey.

Space is a constraint for several schools. At least one of them said they want to increase their intake, but cannot do so unless they get a dedicated space.

"Our pre-nursery children come at the age of two plus, and we have four sections in two shifts. We cannot put them with the rest of the school because they need a dedicated area with customised infrastructure," said Gargi Banerjee, principal, Sri Sri Academy.

The school started with seven students in one section and intends to take 10 in each section from next year.

"Since they are so small, we have to give them enough space in the classroom to relax or even lie down. We cannot have too many in one classroom," said Banerjee.