A trio of Oxfordshire schools are set for significant upgrades after Oxfordshire County Council endorsed plans for major investment at the Cabinet Member for Finance meeting on Friday 3 July 2026.

The package includes an expansion of Oxford’s Mabel Prichard Special School, alongside substantial works at Grove Church of England Primary School and Faringdon Community College.

At Mabel Prichard Special School, which serves children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), expansion will be delivered by remodelling and refurbishing the recently vacated foundation stage accommodation at Orchard Meadow Primary School, co-located on the same site. The scheme will create three new classrooms, pupil toilets, a group room and ancillary areas, together with an improved entrance, office space, a staff room and additional supporting accommodation. The plans also provide for extra car parking and enhanced highway access.

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A full business case is scheduled to go to the council’s cabinet in August 2026, with total capital costs expected to exceed £2 million. The Gallery Trust, which manages Mabel Prichard, will deliver the project using county council funding.

Grove Church of England Primary School is in line for £9.4 million of new buildings and improvements, increasing capacity from 210 to 315 primary places and adding 39 nursery places. The academy, managed by Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST), will deliver the scheme with county council funding. An outline business case was approved in June 2025 and the full business case is due to be considered in the coming months.

The project will be overseen by ODST in partnership with the county council and David Wilson Homes, which is building a housing development in north Grove.

The new Grove building will include seven classrooms, a hall and kitchen, a main reception, and administrative and staff accommodation. The existing block will be reconfigured for nursery and reception pupils. David Wilson Homes will provide additional land for the expansion, including a full-sized all-weather pitch, a new main entrance and parking for staff and visitors. Construction is due to begin in February 2027.

At Faringdon Community College, proposals will replace four temporary buildings – housing eight classrooms – with permanent accommodation in two phases. Phase one comprises a two-storey teaching block with seven classrooms, three group rooms, offices, toilets and a large first-floor circulation and breakout area. Phase two will deliver a student centre with a secure reception, five work rooms, three staff meeting rooms, offices and toilets. The secondary academy, managed by Cambrian Learning Trust, will deliver the scheme using county council funding, with construction expected to start later in 2026.