Schools in Oxfordshire are unlikely to adopt a six-term year in the near future.

Oxfordshire County Council's executive was expected to shelve plans at a meeting today, in line with recommendations from council officers.

The authority had consulted parents and teachers about the change, following proposals by the Independent Commission on the Organisation of the School Year.

The consultation showed that while the proposal was supported by many, others had significant reservations.

Officers concluded that it would make sense only if other neighbouring counties also switched to a six-term year -- and they decided too few would change.

But Tony Crabbe, the executive member for schools, said he hoped the executive would adopt the change.

He said: "I think it is a question of when, not if, it will happen. A six-term year would be a good thing in terms of a regular length of terms. Teachers and pupils need to have regular breaks and I think having six terms would relieve teacher stress."

Oxford Community School headteacher Ian Johnson would prefer a five-term year.

"This would space out the holidays more logically, it would give us slightly more time to plan the modules of work and it would remove the six-week holiday in the summer, when children forget a lot of what they have learned," he said.