Thousands of parents could endure an agonising wait through the summer holidays as plans for the shake-up of Oxford schools face a delay until September, writes Mark Templeton.

The schools organisation committee will meet next week to decide the future of the city's education system but is likely to suspend a decision for two months.

The postponement follows uncertainty over the future of St Augustine's - the joint Roman Catholic and Church of England school - and financing of the project following revelations of a possible 10m gap in funding.

When the committee meets on Tuesday (July 4) it is likely to vote to defer any decisions until September for further financial reports and for the religious issue to be settled.