Plans to demolish Oxfordshire school to rebuild it

Gosford Hill in Kidlington is one of around 400 schools across the country that will be redeveloped after being allocated funding from the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme (SRB).

Details of the project were published last October by the school but now an official planning application has been submitted to Cherwell District Council.

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Under the plans all existing buildings on the site would be demolished and a new three-storey block would be constructed to house all of the teaching and indoor sports facilities.

The block would be centrally located and would take the form of an ‘L’ shape.

The new school is designed to accommodate 750 students aged 11 to 18 with 150 sixth form spaces.

The proposals include a courtyard space between the wings of the school incorporating breakout spaces from the dining hall, music classroom and library resource centre.

An area of the site released by the demolition of existing buildings is proposed to incorporate a 9-a-side football pitch.

Changing facilities, sports storage spaces and an activity studio are also proposed in the plans.

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The school also has a shared use agreement with the Kidlington and Gosford Leisure Centre for sports hall use.

Before the demolition of the existing buildings, temporary classrooms and parking areas would be built.

These temporary facilities would be two-storeys in height and would be fully functional to ensure no loss of teaching resources, says the application.

These facilities would be used for approximately 14 months while the new building is built and becomes operational.

Two car parks are also proposed, one totalling 31 spaces intended for additional and visitor spaces and a northern car park of 67 spaces for staff.

Under the School Rebuilding Programme, schools and sixth-form colleges across England are allocated funding for major rebuilding and refurbishment projects.

Two other schools in Oxfordshire have been allocated funding under the programme – Didcot Girls’ School and Oxford Spires Academy.

The project was previously described as a “transformative moment for Kidlington” by Gosford Hill headteacher Nigel Sellars.

Mr Sellars said: “This is a huge moment for the school and the fantastic community we are privileged to serve.

“Every community deserves a great school at its heart – and this rebuilding project means Gosford Hill can be a great school at the heart of Kidlington for years to come. 

“These are pivotal times in the school’s history.

“The quality of the education we deliver was recognised by Ofsted last year – and the creation of these fantastic new facilities means we will have a wonderful setting in which to deliver that education to children and young people in the area.”

Last year, the school was upgraded to 'Good' by Ofsted, with inspectors from the national education standards body recognising that staff “have significantly improved the quality of education”.

Former students at Gosford Hill include Professor Irene Tracey, who last year became the first-ever comprehensive-educated vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford.

When she was appointed vice-chancellor, Prof Tracey said: “Coming to Oxford University from a terrific local school, Gosford Hill, I know well the transformative power that great teachers, professors and a good education can have throughout one’s career.”

Other Gosford Hill alumni include singer-songwriter Nick Cope and BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter and reggae DJ David Rodigan MBE.

Gosford Hill is part of River Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust made up of 28 schools in Oxfordshire and Swindon.

Other secondary schools in the trust include The Cherwell School in North Oxford and The Marlborough School in Woodstock.