Three Oxfordshire schools will share more than £11m in funding to create hundreds of new pupil places after Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for finance signed off the investment on 3 July. The council’s news portal confirms the agreements release cash for Mabel Prichard Special School in Oxford’s Blackbird Leys, Grove Church of England Primary School near Wantage, and Faringdon Community College.
Mabel Prichard receives £2m to remodel former foundation-stage classrooms at Orchard Meadow Primary School, adding 23 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Grove CE Primary, run by Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, gets £9.4m to expand by 105 primary and 39 nursery places, with building work set to start in February 2027. Councillor Dan Levy described the Grove plans as “designed to provide high quality teaching and learning environments for children by adding nearly 150 places for primary and nursery pupils to meet future needs.” At Faringdon Community College, funding will replace eight temporary classrooms with seven permanent classrooms, a hall, kitchen, reception area and staff accommodation.
The expansions are driven by rising demand from new housing and a growing need for specialist SEND provision. Land for the Grove and Faringdon projects is being provided by developer David Wilson Homes, which will also deliver a full-sized all-weather sports pitch and a new main entrance with parking at the Faringdon site. Councillor Sean Gaul underlined the council’s resolve, saying: “We’re determined to continue investing in services for Oxfordshire’s SEND children.”
Pressure on SEND places has been acute across the county. At the start of 2024, a further 23 places were approved for the existing Mabel Prichard campus, and Bloxham Grove Academy opened in January 2024 with 77 students, due to rise to 100. A new 104-place special school, Artemis Academy in Faringdon, run by the Gallery Trust for children with autism or social, emotional and mental health needs, is scheduled to open in January 2027. The council has also committed an extra £1m to SEND services since 2023, with the proportion of Education, Health and Care Plans completed within the legal timescale climbing from 4 per cent in January 2023 to 57.9 per cent in May 2024 — above the national average of 50.3 per cent.
The Grove CE Primary project was approved in principle by the cabinet on 18 June, with the July decision releasing funds for the trust to enter a construction contract. Faringdon Community College’s new permanent building forms part of wider ambitions for the site, supported by the land deal with David Wilson Homes. Kate Gregory, cabinet member for SEND improvement, has previously set a target of delivering 300 additional special school places across Oxfordshire by 2028.
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