THIS is what a planned new £4m boarding house at Oxford’s St Edward’s School will look like.

Planning permission has just been granted for the new girls’ boarding house at the Woodstock Road school that is described as ‘like an upmarket hotel’.

The plan is for the first boarders to be housed in September 2013.

Headteacher Stephen Jones, who took up his post in September 2011, said: “We have a duty to prepare our pupils for life beyond teddies.

“It is often life outside the classroom, the rich life of the boarding house, that best prepares pupils for making their way in the wider world.

“Boarding is at the heart of the St Edward’s experience, so I am delighted that one of my first acts as warden has been to commission this major investment in the facilities that will enable it to expand and strengthen.”

The school currently has 11 boarding houses, each providing accommodation for about 60 children.

Each building houses pupils of all different age groups, but the accommodation is split according to genders.

The new house for girls will bring the number of girls’ boarding houses up to five, with seven for the boys.

It is planned for the house to be opened as part of the school’s celebrations to mark its 150th anniversary in 2013.

It will be built on the west side of the main school site, and designed by local architects TSH.

Nick Hardy, of TSH, said: “The new boarding house will offer a refreshingly-modern environment for the girls who live there.

“We’ve moved away from the traditional corridor-style house by introducing a stunning three-storey atrium.

“This instantly creates a very open, social environment and we know from discussions with boarding house staff and current boarders this is what young people want.”

He described the planned new building as more like an upmarket hotel than a traditional school house.

It will include high levels of insulation and solar-thermal panels on the roof to reduce energy consumption.

The independent school teaches the International Baccalaureate as well as A- Levels.

There are currently five applications for each boarding place at sixth-form level.

Fees for the school cost £9,935 per term for boarders and £7,948 for day pupils.