Parents will halt traffic in a protest to highlight the dangers their children will face when they start at a split-site school in Oxford in September.

Isis Middle School is merging with SS Mary and John CE Primary School to form a 400-pupil primary school as part of the city's schools' reorganisation.

Parents and school governors are concerned that children's lives will be at risk, unless Oxfordshire County Council installs a pelican crossing with traffic lights on the Iffley Road, between the Hertford Street and Meadow Lane schools.

A council spokesman said it would be considering whether to install the crossing in spring -- about six months after the school opens.

A safe crossing close to the Percy Street and Daubeny Road junctions is thought to be essential to the success of a planned £5,000 scheme for a safe walking 'Rainbow Route'.

The route will be marked out with coloured dinosaur footprints and road signs designed by children.

Headteacher Pip Murray said: "The county council's delay on putting a pelican crossing in Iffley Road is disastrous for us in terms of taking children backwards and forwards between our two sites.

"It's essential that the children have a safe place to cross. We are trying to be responsible and encourage parents to allow their children to walk to school.

"We recognised that we would need this and we have been asking for something to be done about it for two years."

Parents say the existing zebra crossing near Chester Street is inconvenient and unsafe.

During the past five years, there have been 28 minor accidents on the stretch of the road between Charles Street and James Street. Six of them have involved pedestrians.

Mari Girling, whose nine-year-old son attends the school, is organising the protest in Iffley Road next month, when parents will stand in the road with banners and block traffic.

She said: "The existing crossing isn't on the route between the two schools and it's a really dangerous crossing. I wouldn't dream of using it. I've frequently seen people driving straight through it."

The first protest will take place after school on June 11.

Children aged up to seven will attend the Hertford Street site and pupils between eight and 11 will be based at Meadow Lane. Bartlemas Nursery will be attached to the school to form an early learning centre for children aged three to five.

Samantha Tharme, senior transport planner at the county council, said: "We have every sympathy that the parents are putting forward a sensible request. We are definitely putting it forward, with a number of others, for consideration next spring and it stands a reasonable chance of going through."

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