TWO long-running plans to boost further education in the north of Oxfordshire have moved a step closer.

A planning application has been submitted for a media centre and vehicle workshop at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (OCVC) in Broughton Road, Banbury.

And it was confirmed this week that consultation will start on October 31 over plans to add a sixth form to Warriner School at Bloxham.

The OCVC plan is part of its project to move to the south side of Broughton Road, vacating its site on the north side, which would be sold for housing.

A £3.4m refurbishment of the art and design building took place this year and the new plan proposes a three-storey media centre and single-storey workshop.

This would include a link to the main campus, a change to the layout of the car park and demolition of a bungalow on the site.

The college was unavailable for comment but has said a new media block and workshop would be built next to the art and design building, resulting in the sale or demolition of redundant buildings.

Some 110 homes could be provided on the northern side, although it has warned the plans depend on “affordability”.

Meanwhile, Warriner headteacher Dr Annabel Kay said a sixth form, to take on 104 Year 12 and 83 Year 13 students, was vital for teenagers’ wellbeing.

She added: “The step up from GCSE to A-Level is hard enough without having to start with new teachers and a new working environment.

“It disadvantages our students because there is so much change for them."

This year, 49 students went to Banbury School, 56 to OCVC, 24 to Chenderit School, Middleton Cheney, 37 to Chipping Norton School and 16 to Warwickshire College in Leamington Spa.

The consultation will be on the principle of whether to open a sixth form and will run for six weeks. Two public meetings will be held at the school, Dr Kay said.

The plan would require a new building within the school site, she added, though no location has been decided. Further buildings could be added later.

Funding for the estimated £1.6m building is unknown, Dr Kay said.

Since getting trust status this year, the school can now run A-Level classes for 30 students from next September through a link with OCVC.

These could include biology, chemistry, geography or maths.

Consultation documents will go on the school website and the county council’s website on October 31.

The plan – discussed since the 1970s – would need final approval by the Department for Education.