BANBURY School principal Dr Fiona Hammans is calling for a fairer system of investment in education saying that Drayton School is getting millions of pounds of private cash, while her school is getting nothing from Oxfordshire County Council.

Dr Hammans said: "I am angry and frustrated about what is going on.

"Drayton School is being given money to improve and become independent of the county council, while we are getting nothing.

"The 11 to 16 population of the two schools is almost identical but we get much better results, and in total we have twice as many pupils as Drayton.

"Our classrooms were built in the 1930s. Drayton was built in the 1970s and has had more refurbishment than we have."

She asked: "Why can't we get money from the county council. The needs of our pupils are the same as those at Drayton, but when is Oxfordshire going to invest in this school?

"Our pupils are proud of their school and do well in exams. We seem to be being penalised for being successful.

"It will be brilliant if the academy at Drayton works, but we need something too."

Dr Hammans was referring to plans to turn Drayton School into a city academy a Government initiative to boost under-achieving schools.

Drayton will undergo a £20m transformation and expansion with funding from private sponsors including Vodafone.

Banbury School has seen bids to improve its buildings thwarted in recent years.

In 2003, plans to merge Banbury School and Drayton on to one site in Easington were dropped after protests from parents and pupils at Drayton. The merger would have seen new buildings on Banbury School's Easington site.

In 2005, Banbury School missed out on a £6m grant from the Government's targeted capital fund and was told it would have to wait until 2015 for the next share-out.

Dr Hammans said then: "We are really disappointed. Our buildings are not just sub-standard, they are really poor and well beyond their sell-by date.

"We've had to close several times in the past because of electrical and sewage problems, and we've had a gas leak because of very old pipe work.

"The fabric of the building is just crumbling around us and 2015 seems a very long time to wait."

Michael Waine, Oxfordshire County Council's executive member for schools' improvement, said: "I have every sympathy for Dr Hammans, and this council is working hard to access money for Banbury School.

"We missed out on the targeted capital fund last year, but we are not sitting still. We are active and pursuing other routes.

"New classrooms will be built at Banbury School after the sell-off of Stanbridge Hall, the former grammar school which is part of the Banbury School site, and out of all the secondary schools in Oxfordshire, our major commitment is Banbury School."