A NEW classroom for the youngest children at an Oxfordshire school has officially opened.

The new foundation unit at Marcham Primary School was declared open by the oldest and youngest pupils at the school.

Headteacher Viv Hutchinson said the £350,000 building was approved after the school was forced to turn away village children because there was not enough space to teach them.

She said: “Our intake number used to be 15 but we found we were getting 27 or 28 applications, meaning we couldn’t offer places to all those who applied.

“We canvassed the village and asked people who had very young children if they were intending for them to come to the school.

“The case that we built up showed that there were many more children than we had space for, because we’re a growing village.”

Permission for the extra classroom, which will take up to 30 pupils, was granted in December last year and it was ready in time for the start of the new school year last month, with 27 children filling the new foundation unit.

There are 137 children on the school roll, compared with 112 when Mrs Hutchinson took over the headship two years ago – an increase of 22 per cent.

Mrs Hutchinson said the larger intake would eventually swell the size of the school throughout all years.

She said: “We’re hoping there will be additional classroom space built at the other end of the school to deal with the large numbers of children wanting to come to our fantastic school.

“We don’t want to get bigger, just for the sake of it, because we really like the family and community atmosphere that we have.

“We want that to continue but we do need a slightly bigger school for the children of the village.”

The new classroom also provides more space for pupils throughout the school, as the main buildings no longer have to accommodate early years classes as well.

About 40 parents, villagers and representatives from Oxfordshire County Council, which provided the bulk of the funding, came to celebrate the opening on Thursday.

They were entertained by children singing songs from Wind in the Willows.

Mrs Hutchinson added: “It’s a fantastic building, but it’s our staff who make it really special.”