A RESCHOOL has had to ask for planning permission to keep using a temporary building to teach children in for another five years.

The nursery at St Nicholas CofE school in Abingdon has said there is no way it can afford to build a permanent classroom in that time.

An officer at Oxfordshire County Council – the education authority – has submitted a planning application to her council's planning team just to be able to carry on using the modular building.

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In her submission, Nicola Jones – senior schools organisation and planning officer – wrote to the planning department: "We urge renewal as part of the coordinated work of the school’s early years provision and OCC’s statutory duty to support the provision of family services for the local community.

"The directorate therefore considers the retention of this prefabricated building essential, for a further five-year period, so as to ensure that the pre-school is able to continue to appropriately accommodate the current and projected pre-school population.

"[Neither] The directorate, the school nor the pre-school has the funding to replace these buildings within this time span."

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Addressing the condition of the temporary classroom, which has already been in use for years, she added: "The condition of this unit is suitable, as far as we are aware, for the next five years."

It comes at a time when schools are increasingly asking parents for donations for basic educational supplies.

Members of public can see the full plans at myeplanning.oxfordshire.gov.uk using reference number R3.0063/19