DEVELOPERS have been urged to give firm dates for major house-building projects to help make sure enough school places are available for children in Wantage.

Oxfordshire County Council's pupil place plan estimates there will be an extra 1,800 school-age children in the town by 2023, meaning three new primaries and one new secondary could be needed.

The report is based on the council's knowledge of where it is likely new homes will be built in the coming years.

Oxfordshire county councillor for Wantage, Jenny Hannaby, said developers needed to be much clearer about when building would start, to allow the local authority to plan with more certainty.

She said: "My concern is the deliverability .

"We do not know exactly when these developments are coming and how many houses are going to be provided in each area.

"If the developments do not go ahead the council is left between a rock and a hard place.

"If the schools are not in place then pupils will be bussed out of town.

"It has happened in the past and it is unacceptable."

The council's pupil place plan outlines broad locations where schools may need to be built.

But rules state that the local authority cannot open new schools, which instead must be free schools or academies, which get final approval from Whitehall.

Education expert and county councillor John Howson warned this could also prove a barrier to schools being opened in the right places.

Prof Howson said: "The council is in a difficult place because it is carrying on with its historic role of trying to identify where places are needed, but its hands are tied behind its back.

"It does a very good job at planning for where places are needed; a much better job than other local authorities.

"It terrifies me that these schools will not happen and good local authorities like Oxfordshire will have done a really good job on this but will be hamstrung by not having a clear planning process to ensure the best education for children."

About 5,500 new homes are set to be built in Wantage and Grove in the next 15 years, including at the former Grove Airfield site.

County council cabinet member for education Steve Harrod said: "I believe we are well placed to continue meeting the challenges that lie ahead and to continue providing places at good local schools for every Oxfordshire child who needs one.

"We don’t have a crystal ball but we can bring together the best available information at any given point in time and set out what needs to be done to stay ahead of the game."

The Department for Education said it was making sure every child had a school place that provided them with an 'excellent education.

Spokesman Steven Bourner said: "Where a local authority thinks there is a need for a new school in its area, it must open a new free school and it will be able to decide where it is located.

"Our new education proposals will encourage universities and private schools to set up excellent new schools."