A GOVERNOR at a Witney special school has raised concerns about plans to expand the school which shares its site.

Oxfordshire County Council has launched a four-week consultation on moves to increase the size of Madley Brook Primary School, in Cedar Drive, by 50 per cent.

Under the proposals, the school would take 45, rather than 30 pupils in its reception class each year, eventually bringing the roll up from 180 to 270 children.

But Springfield School, which serves children with complex learning difficulties and shares the site and many of the facilities, fears it would put pressure on areas already at full capacity.

Governor Phil Bloomfield said in a letter to the county council: “The fair use of the hall for curriculum time will be under particular threat, as it is fully utilised now.

“There will be huge pressure on the food technology room, library, ICT room and meeting rooms, all of which are used to a high capacity now.”

He said expanding Madley Brook would also mean more staff, raising concerns about added pressure on accommodation like staff toilets and car parking.

The school originally opened in 2003 to serve the new Madley Park housing development.

The council is looking to increase capacity because it received 39 applications from children wanting to start in September 2008, then 49 for the school year starting this September.

A report to the council’s cabinet, on July 21, said: “This demand, from within the catchment area, is likely to continue.

“Several other Witney schools are also at capacity and numbers are rising, with more housing planned across the town.”

Temporary arrangements are being put in place to allow 45 children to start at the school in September. If the expansion goes ahead, two new classrooms will be built by September 2012.

Detailed feasibility work would also be carried out to see if other spaces such as the car park and school hall needed extending.

Informal consultation has already been carried out with parents at both schools, councillors, other schools in the area and the library.

Fourteen responses were received, including one from Witney Community Primary School which expressed concerns that Madley Brook’s expansion could affect its own roll.

A final decision will be made by schools improvement cabinet member Michael Waine if no representations are received, or by the cabinet if there are comments.

fbardsley@oxfordmail.co.uk