PLANS to close one of the city’s largest secondary schools and turn it into an academy will be looked at again, it emerged last night.

Last week Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet agreed to publish a statutory notice for the closure of Oxford School, Glanville Road, which will kickstart a further six weeks of public consultation.

But Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors have called in the decision and the issue will be discussed by the council’s children’s services scrutiny committee later this month.

Lib Dem councillor Altaf Khan said: “There needs to be a properly thought-out decision, there is no need for this rush. Things could change in September.”

He added: “We know other schools might want to go into some sort of collaboration with Oxford School, but discussions cannot go on at the moment because they are on holiday.”

Mr Khan said a decision on funding for the school’s new buildings would not be known until after the Government’s comprehensive spending review, which takes place this autumn.

A meeting of the council’s children’s services scrutiny committee will now be set up to confirm the original decision or ask the cabinet to reconsider its plan.

The proposed academy is being sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust, working in partnership with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and the county council.

It would take up to 1,050 children aged from 11 to 19, with a 250-place sixth form, and would specialise in English, and business and enterprise.

In public consultation held between June 7 and July 19, only 15 of the 74 people who responded agreed with the proposal.

Opponents of the academy pointed to issues such as a possible lack of accountability and cost.

A petition against the plan containing 599 signatures was presented to the council.

Michael Waine, the council’s cabinet member for schools improvement, said: “Clearly the option to do nothing regarding Oxford School is not feasible.

“The school is undersubscribed and is not performing as it should.

“We believe that an academy school will offer the best chance for change. We want the school to be the first choice for people living in the area because of the standard of education that is on offer.

“At the moment it isn’t and that needs to change.”