Councillors yesterday gave the green light for a new 600-place secondary school to be built in Grove.

They rejected two other proposals and settled on the plan for a standalone school in the village, possibly to be open by 2011.

The other options were to have two equal sized schools in Wantage and Grove of 1,250 pupils or expanding King Alfred's Sports and Community College to 2,500 pupils on two sites.

Education officers will now begin negotiations with developers to secure an appropriate site in Grove.

It is thought the Oxfordshire County Council would like to earmark enough land to ensure in time the school could grow to cater for 1,250 pupils.

The new school is needed because of the projected housing growth in the area over coming years. It is forecast they need 700 additional secondary school places in the Grove - 150 of those by 2011 and a further 550 by 2026.

Cllr Michael Waine, cabinet member for school improvements, said: "We have weighed up the pros and cons of all the options and listened to most people's views before making this important decision.

"We have considered each option carefully and taken in to account other factors like initial cost.

"A new 600-place secondary school for Grove would, in our view, best meet the needs of the two communities in Wantage and Grove."

Hanney and Hendreds councillor Iain Brown, who has a six-year-old daughter who will be old enough to go to the new school when it is built, said: "Grove has wanted a school of its own for many years but has never had one.

"Now there is a choice to get something for Grove. We welcome the opportunity to have a choice of where their children can be schooled."

The cost of the new school has not been determined.

This option means there will be no impact on the school numbers at Kign Alfred's.