Welcome to the website for the village of Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, England. Within these pages you will find information on the village, the Parish Council and its activities, a directory of local businesses and services, information on clubs and groups, and lots of other things too.
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The Parish Council has made a £500 grant in support of the campaign to pay for a part-time teaching assistant at the village school.
In common with many state-funded schools throughout the country Long Wittenham primary school is struggling financially to make ends meet as education budgets are squeezed. The school needs to recruit a teaching assistant to help cope with rising pupil numbers and increasing demands to raise standards.
The part-time teaching assistant will cost the school £20,000 a year and both the school and the parents’ group are looking at ways of financing the post. The Parish Council has decided to support the fund-raising campaign because of the important role the school plays in the life of the community.
Head teacher Alison Bellingham said: “We are very grateful to the Parish Council for its support. These are difficult financial times for many schools and we welcome any help because there are increasing demands being placed on school budgets.”
She said that school assessment tests at the end of year two and year six were very good and the school was reaching its targets but there was an urgent need to recruit a part-time teaching assistant if the school was to continue its progress. It’s hoped to have the assistant in place later this year – probably in October – although it will mean the school shouldering a deficit.
The Oxford Diocese and Oxfordshire County Council have agreed to pay their costs towards the new school – for example for internal furnishing, removal expenses and legal costs. This has allowed the developer Thomas Homes to proceed with viability assessments for the whole project. Thomas Homes expects to be able to make a full planning application before Christmas. Continue reading
The public consultation on the Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) ended on 11th September with twelve responses from residents and ten from outside bodies.
Some residents were concerned that the size of the proposed Community Hub site off Didcot Road had been expanded, but Councillor Peter Rose who Continue reading
Another in our occasional series showing images and items of interest from Long Wittenham’s past.
This time, then and now photographs of No. 17 High Street: the first taken in the early 1900s when it had become the village police house (taking over from No. 15), and the second taken this year. Continue reading
The Parish Council has set the dates for its meetings and the Annual Parish Assembly for next year.
All meetings will take place at 7:30pm in the Village Hall.
10th January – Parish Council Meeting Continue reading
The organisers of this year’s Village Apple Day are looking for volunteers to help with the smooth running of the event on Saturday 13th October.
Jobs that will need doing are: Continue reading
The Parish Council has been advised by Oxfordshire Council Council (OCC) Highways Department that carriageway resurfacing will necessitate temporary road closures and “no waiting” restrictions on Westfield Road from 10th October 2018 to 14th October 2018 and Sinodun Close from 12th October to 16th October 2018.
See the OCC Notice and maps showing the affected roads (in red). Apologies for the poor Continue reading
Would you like your village to be a clean and tidier place? Do you have items you no longer need that are clean and reusable? Are there items that you would find useful to have? Then come along to the Village Autumn Litter Pick and Swapshop on Saturday 6th October at the Village Hall from 10am till noon. Residents are also urged to bring along any unwanted socks for the homeless (see below). Continue reading
Some concern has been raised by a very small number of residents that the revised Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) allocates a site for the Community Hub development which looks much larger than the original plans.
The latest plan on the website sets out a DRAFT plan which will be subject to further Continue reading
There are plans afoot to start an informal running group in Long Wittenham.
Whether you can plod, do 5Ks, 10Ks or marathons you are invited to come along to the group, which hopefully will meet every Wednesday evening. The main idea to keep safe as the nights draw in. Continue reading
