Girls at a Catholic school in Oxford could be given access to the morning-after pill by sending a text message.

Oxfordshire County Council had initially refused to name the six schools it was considering for a pilot scheme where pupils could text a nurse for emergency contraception.

However, using the Freedom of Information Act, we can reveal the schools are St Gregory the Great, Cheney, The Oxford Academy, Oxford School, The North Oxfordshire Academy, in Banbury, and Banbury School.

However, the inclusion of St Gregory the Great, in East Oxford, has prompted a wave of opposition from Catholic leaders because of the church’s stance against contraception and abortion.

Bishop William Kenney, whose diocese covers Oxfordshire, said: “I am very much opposed to this.

“It goes against the very central idea the Catholic church has on human life.”

He said the plan was sending out the message that it was better to deal with the aftermath of what people do, rather than the causes.

Bishop William, who celebrates Mass at the school once a year, added: “I don’t think this will help solve the teenage pregnancy rate.

“I think it’s taking away responsibility from parents.”

The school’s chaplain Father Daniel Seward added: “The school is part of the Catholic church and the church has a very clear view that sexual relations take place properly within marriage and that any abortion or contraception is contrary to the dignity of the human person.

“Sex is never just a recreational activity.”

St Gregory’s headmaster, John Hussey, was unavailable for comment.

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and the county council are considering allowing girls as young as 11 to text requests for the pill after a jump of almost 10 per cent in the number of girls aged 18 and under getting pregnant.

The number went up from 320 in 2006 to 350 in 2007.

Talks about the text service have yet to take place with governors and headmasters.

However, the PCT said because the service would be provided outside school hours, the plans fell outside the governance of the schools – potentially putting it and County Hall on a collision course with some schools.

In a joint statement the council and PCT said: “The six schools were chosen because they sit in wards that have been shown to have persistently high teenage conception rates.

“It is not that the schools involved have high conception rates.

“This is not about giving out contraceptives in schools, it is about providing access to advice on a wide range of health issues from a school health nurse outside the school setting, to support vulnerable young people who may need help outside of school hours.

“However, these plans are about giving young people access to a school health nurse outside the school and therefore fall outside the governance of schools.”

Mike Reading, headmaster of the Oxford Academy, in Littlemore, said: “This would not be consistent with the values of the academy.

“At the present time it’s not our intention to be supporting the use of texting to request information about the morning-after pill.”

Oxfordshire PCT has said child protection staff would become involved if any child aged between 11 and 13 asked for contraception.