A MUCH-needed school crucial to preventing a placement crisis in Oxford has marked a new milestone.

The 1,260-pupil Swan School, which is due to open in Marston in September 2019, has now assigned contractors to lead the design and building process.

It comes as a councillor refreshed concerns about pace of progress at the school, urging the Government agency at its helm to ‘get on with it’.

The River Learning Trust (RLT), which is set to open the free school on the site of the Harlow Centre in Raymund Road, announced London-based Galliford Try and Corde Ltd will lead the works.

Paul James, chief executive at the RLT, said he was ‘extremely pleased’ the project was moving forward following previous delays.

Galliford Try is a FTSE 250 construction company and said it has a ‘strong track record of successfully delivering free school projects’.

Corde Ltd combines several architectural and engineering companies and has also delivered several schools.

Mr James added: “We are confident of the Swan School opening in 2019 and recognise this is essential to meet the need for rising pupil numbers in Oxford.”

New figures show parents in Marston and Northway, areas which will fall within the school’s catchment area, had a disappointing admissions outcome this September.

Just 62 per cent of 146 children gained their first choice school: the lowest percentage in Oxford, other than nearby University Parks ward, where 40 per cent of five applicants secured first choice.

Oxfordshire as a whole fared well, with 91 per cent of 6,623 applicants securing first choice schools this year.

Mr James said: “Marston is an area where increasing numbers of families are unable to secure places at their first preference schools.

“The Harlow Centre is well placed...it should be readily accessible to children who, but for its over-subscription, might have expected to attend The Cherwell School.”

The school initially aimed to open this month but was delayed after the Education and Skills Funding Agency - the Government body responsible for assigning locations, contractors and funding for free schools - failed to find a location in time.

The spot they settled on proved controversial, with concerns it could fuel traffic chaos during the Marston Ferry Road school run.

Education expert John Howson said there was clearly still ‘anxiety’ about the Swan School. The county councillor said: “It’s already two years behind and pressure in the city will grow.

“We need it by 2019 or things will become critical. The agency must understand the local conditions and get on with it, and prioritise it. Time is running out.”

According to Department for Education forecasts, there will be 40,547 pupils of secondary school age in Oxfordshire in 2019 compared to an estimated 36,791 this year.

Contractors will now draw up designs, with input from the RLT and Oxfordshire County Council, ahead of October consultation events.