A £33M SCHEME to construct new buildings for Oxford Academy on the old Peers School site has been given the go-ahead, in the same week that it emerged that Oxford School could become the city’s second academy.

Work on new buildings at the Oxford Academy in Littlemore is to start next month after being approved by Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet.

And The Oxford Times can today offer an early glimpse of what the new academy will look like, when work is completed in the summer of 2011.

But the news has been overshadowed by reports that Oxford School is in secret talks about closing down and re-opening as the city’s second academy.

Anti-academy campaigners and unions last night said they would fight moves to change the 1,110-pupil school in Glanville Road, East Oxford from a foundation school to an academy.

Yesterday, head Steve Lunt confirmed: “There have been confidential conversations taking place.”

Oxfordshire County Council also confirmed it was looking at it as an option because it wanted to improve the school’s performance, although it has not tabled academy status as a formal proposal.

The Oxford Anti-Academy Alliance — set up to oppose the transformation of Peers School into the city’s first academy last year — and the Oxford & District Trades Union Council appealed for the council not to “abandon” the school.

Spokesman Mark Ladbrooke said: “So far, the discussions have left out significant stakeholders. None of the unions representing teachers or other staff at the school has been consulted and, more importantly, neither has the community whose children the school serves.

“We do not believe the council has fully considered the devastating effect the closure would have on the community and the damage which could be done by replacing it with an academy.”

Eleven years ago, education watchdogs deemed Oxford School, which has 1,110 pupils aged 11-19, to have serious weaknesses. Three years later a new report said it was “rapidly improving and effective”. Its latest Ofsted report said the school was “satisfactory”.

Last year the school gained foundation status, which granted its governing body and Mr Lunt the freedom to control pupil admissions, teacher recruitment and school buildings.

Becoming an academy would give the school even greater autonomy from the council.

County council spokesman Paul Smith said the school was being considered for academy status because less than 30 per cent of its pupils gained five or more GCSEs at A* to C, including English and maths.

He said no sponsor had been identifed and added: “Academy status, if it were to proceed, would bring with it very significant capital investment, of an order which could not be provided by the council.

“There has been no consultation because there is as yet no formal proposal. If a proposal proceeds, there will be a full consultation.”

The Oxford Academy opened its doors last September following the closure of Peers School.

The rebuilt academy will provide facilities for up to 1,450 pupils. It will also include a specialist sports academy.

The project will also see Mabel Pritchard Special School rebuilt and the creation of a new library.