Extra funding worth up to £3m will be pumped into four Oxfordshire schools, after they were awarded specialist status.

Cheney School, in Oxford, has been given specialist status in languages; Blessed George Napier School, in Banbury, in sport; Bartholomew School, in Eynsham, in technology; and Gillotts School, in Henley, in maths and computing.

The schools can expect up to £750,000 each in extra Government funding over four years, to upgrade facilities and take on extra staff.

They will receive £100,000 to invest in major projects like building work and upgrading computers, and £123 per pupil annually, from September.

To achieve specialist status, the schools had to raise £50,000, and prepare development plans showing how they would meet targets in literacy and numeracy, as well as the specialist subject.

Alan Lane, headteacher of Cheney School, said: "Cheney has more than 200 bilingual students, so it was natural for the school to look at its international dimension.

"We shall now have some of the best language learning facilities in the county."

The money will be used to offer more languages to both pupils and adult learners, and to build a language learning centre.

Cllr Tony Crabbe, Oxfordshire County Council's executive member for schools, said: "Well done to the schools, which have put so much hard work into gaining this sought-after status.

"I am sure they will work with their communities to share the benefits specialist status brings. I look forward to watching their progress and have every confidence that they will be able to maintain their status."

Carterton Community College was turned down for specialist status as an engineering college.

Headteacher, Alan Klee, said he was confident the college's application would be approved next time it applied.

He added: "We worked incredibly hard on this and raised £52,000 in sponsorship, so we thought we had a good chance -- although it is very rare to get it the first time.

"In a competition you have to expect to win or lose. We've not been successful this time, but will keep trying until we get it."