MP demands clarity over school places fiasco
20/03/2026
Despite assurances of places some will have to re-enter the standard admissions process
Families are suffering from extreme stress and anxiety due to lack of clarity over school places for their children from September, with some even considering uprooting their lives and moving to, resolve the problem.
That’s according to Banbury’s MP, who has demanded clarity from Oxfordshire County Council following the fiasco of Banbury area school children being allocated secondary school places in Bicester. Its believed 54 families will remain in limbo, uncertain of what will happen from the start of the new school year, until at least May 8.
Despite recent public assurances from the Council, Sean Woodcock has raised serious concerns regarding inconsistencies between private meetings, public statements and official correspondence.
Local Councillor Andrew Crichton had intervened on behalf of a Banbury family. He was told that no school places will be allocated until May, and pertinently, the schools ‘admissions process’ will be the final decider on how many children will be offered school provision in Banbury.
The Council recently claimed to have secured 47 additional places, but it appears these are not guaranteed to go to the affected families. Instead, their children must re-enter the standard admissions process, leaving parents with no certainty that their children will actually be schooled in their home town.
This goes against a statement made by the councillor responsible for Education in Oxfordshire. Sean Gaul told the BBC: “We’ve arranged satisfactory outcomes for 30 out of 54 in just over a week, and I have every confidence that we have the right people in the right places supporting this ongoing priority.”
Mr Woodcock said: “Parents and children who have been affected by this schools debacle deserve clarity, reassurance and confirmation that their children will be given school provision in Banbury. I have heard from many families who say that this uncertainty is causing them extreme stress and anxiety, with some even considering uprooting their lives and moving area in order to ensure their children are able to attend school.
“Constituents have told me about their frustrations with the Council, and I can only imagine that misleading public statements have added to this.
“I will continue to call on Oxfordshire County Council to provide clarity to families, and to ensure all affected children are given local school places. I also continue my calls for the Council to properly apologise for the anxiety and stress that this issue, and the clear failings in communication, has caused to these parents.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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