More money has been promised to Aberdeen amid warnings siblings could soon be forced to attend different schools.
Education bosses have warned it is becoming “difficult” to ensure children from the same families can go to the same school.
It is understood city officials met with Scottish Government counterparts in late June to air their concerns.
Why are school rolls rocketing?
The pressure on schools has largely been caused by an increase in international university students bringing their families to Aberdeen as they come to study.
UK immigration curbs on visas for dependents of foreign students is expected to ease the situation at the beginning of 2024.
Presently, strain is being felt particularly around the Robert Gordon University campus in Garthdee.
Coinciding with a boom in overseas students at the city’s higher education institutions, the number of African families in Aberdeen has nearly doubled since 2019.
Interim council children’s services director, Eleanor Sheppard, said that the new visa rules were predicted to lead to a reduction in the long term.
Discussions with the universities are “ongoing” in the meantime.
Aberdeen schools chief: ‘High number’ of student families expected to move to city this summer
However, there is not yet a definitive number of children expected to move to Aberdeen with family taking up study this summer.
She added: “One of the universities suspects it will still have a relatively high number coming through in September.
“The university very much appreciates that the intelligence they glean and share with us is quite often a wee bit off the reality of numbers of children and young people arriving in the city.”
Scotland’s universities are autonomous of government, and are “independently responsible” for entry procedures.
How many new pupils have arrived from Ukraine?
Adding to the student migration, hundreds of children have also been enrolled in Aberdeen schools as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By population, the Granite City is providing education to the most Ukrainian pupils out of Scotland’s four biggest cities.
That means Aberdeen is teaching more per head than Edinburgh, Glasgow or Dundee.
Figures to the end of April show 190 primary-aged and 148 high school pupils have joined local schools on account of the war.
It may come with challenges but chiefs say the achievement is “something to be proud of”.
Council top brass have stayed quiet on the outcome of their meeting with the Holyrood officials at the end of last month.
It is understood educational pressures was only one item on a wider agenda.
What will the Scottish Government do?
But a Scottish Government spokesman confirmed more money would be sent north to help after “constructive talks”.
Last March, Aberdeen City Council was given £1.94 million to ensure schooling for the incoming Ukrainians.
“We will continue working closely with local authorities to support them in meeting their responsibilities to provide education to children arriving from Ukraine,” the government spokesman said.
“This includes helping to ensure that they have the resources they need.
“Given numbers of displaced Ukrainian children in Scotland were higher than expected, further funding was required which will be distributed to local authorities in the coming months.”
He added that schools funding was “needs based” and the latest pupil census figures informed budgets for individual councils.
City education convener Martin Greig told The P&J the council’s work to address “challenging” increasing school populations – alongside the governments and universities –Â continues.
He previously said the rising school rolls in the city were “not sustainable”.
