School to be replaced 'within two years'

New facilities have been approved for Gosford Hill School in Kidlington’s Oxford Road

It is hoped that a school that is being demolished and fully replaced will be complete in the next two years.

The new facilities were approved for Gosford Hill School in Kidlington’s Oxford Road during a Cherwell District Council planning meeting last month.

Nigel Sellars, Gosford Hill's head teacher of eight years, told the BBC he was aiming to have pupils studying in the new school by 2026.

The school is one of about 400 across the country being redeveloped as part of a government school rebuilding programme.

Staff and students have had to cope with leaking roofs at the site, the oldest parts of which were built in 1932.

The new school will see all facilities housed inside one building. It will be a modular-build, meaning it will be constructed in a factory in Coventry and then craned onto the site.

The new school will be constructed in a factory in Coventry and craned onto the site

Mr Sellars said the estimated two-year build would speed things up despite a "really tight timescale".

"Prioritising the education of our current students is the most important thing because we don’t want any of or students to suffer as a result of this.

"But what we also have to do is be able to say in 100 years’ time, when people are looking back on this project, that we made the right decisions in the best interests of the community."

He added: "We are about to embark on some of the initial work happening, which includes demolishing some buildings which makes way for car parking during the build, and for the temporary buildings.

"Then I’m hoping during the course of the next academic year... we’ll be moving into the temporary buildings."

The school shares an entrance with Kidlington & Gosford Leisure Centre, which is expected to stay open during the duration of the works.