The small four-class primary school in South Marston will soon be growing significantly.

In anticipation of the growth of the village as part of the New eastern Village programme, which will see more than 2,300 houses built around the existing village, the Church of England primary School has been given planning permission for new buildings.

It will allow the school to treble in size – it has 15 pupils a year join now, and in future will have 45 join every year.

On its website the school says: “South Marston Church of England Primary School has served the community of South Marston for over 140 years, something we are incredibly proud to be able to say and something that we will take into the next exciting chapter of our school’s future.

“Today, families from surrounding areas also choose our school because of its Christian background, its traditions, and its family feel. At the heart of South Marston village, we are proud to be part of the wider community and have strong links with our local church, St Mary Magdalene.

We aim to deliver values-led education with the very best outcomes for our children and young people. As we expand, our ethos will remain at the heart of our school.

“During this next exciting part of the school’s journey of growth and development, we are committed to ensuring our school continues to serve the community. We will continue to know our pupils well, encourage our families to be a part of our school and strive to provide the best foundation for learning that we can.”

The new buildings will be placed directly south east of the existing Victorian school building and will have two football pitches set around them- although they will later be replaced as the development of South Marston village centre is completed in the coming years.

The school expansion will include a school hall, eight 30-pupil classrooms and associated kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Concerns had been raised by neighbours about traffic and parking provision and the loss of open space and recreation ground to the new buildings.

But council planners said: “Although there are challenges with regard to the provision of such a large school building within this rural village setting, the proposal has sought to address these concerns and will result in a high-quality school environment that will be an 22 asset and focus for this community.

“The benefits of the proposal therefore outweigh any harm identified including that to the setting of the listed church. The proposal is necessary to facilitate the village expansion plans which are an integral part of the wider housing strategy of the council.