A £2M EXPANSION of a Wantage school will not be enough to curb primary place shortages, opposition councillors have warned.

Oxfordshire County Council last week gave planning permission to Charlton Primary School to build a block of two new classrooms.

The move will increase its intake from 45 to 60 pupils a year.

But Liberal Democrat council members for Wantage and Grove yesterday said more places were needed to stop siblings being split up and pupils being sent to school in nearby villages by bus.

There were 48 first-choice applications for the 30 places available at Stockham Primary School this year.

And Charlton had 45 first-choice applications for its 45 spots.

Wantage CofE Primary had 58 first-choice for its 60 places.

Zoe Patrick, a Charlton governor and county council member for Wantage and Grove, said more families would soon move to the town and the schools would again be full.

She said: “Obviously this does help with the short-term solution, but the long-term solution needed is much greater.

“It has enormous implications for parents when you have one child at one school and one at another. We would like every child to have their first-choice school.”

Last year Wantage children had to take up places in schools such as The Hendreds Primary School and St Amand’s Catholic Primary School in East Hendred. More than 50 travelled by bus.

A new school incorporating Grove CofE will be built when the first 500 homes are built as part of 2,500 earmarked for Grove Airfield. The school will then increase its intake from 15 to 30 pupils every year.

But the scheme is already delayed by five years with developers Persimmon Homes yet to submit a planning application.

Jenny Hannaby, Lib Dem county council member for Wantage and Grove, said small housing developments were putting pressure on school places.

She said: “There is so much development going on in Wantage and Grove in smaller areas and we have the uncertainty of what is going to be thrown at us.

“It is still a big worry and a big problem for the parents and children who are at nursery school.

“Our children are destined to be bussed out of Wantage until the development money comes through to build the much needed schools.”

But Charlton School headteacher Jenny de la Coze said she thought the expansion would tackle the shortage.

Council spokesman Gemma Watts agreed, saying: “The project to expand Charlton Primary School in Wantage will create an extra 15 places per year group, increasing the school’s overall capacity from 270 to 360.

“Forecasts suggest that this will be perfectly adequate to meet demand.”