New schools for Oxfordshire
Information about proposals for new schools in Oxfordshire.
Where Oxfordshire County Council identifies the need for a new school, it will follow the statutory process set out by the Department for Education for establishing new schools.
The council is responsible for:
- planning and securing sufficient school places;
- determining the need for new schools;
- inviting and assessing proposals from organisations wishing to establish and run a new school; and
- making recommendations or decisions in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
Interested in opening a new school
The government has provided statutory guidance on opening new schools - Opening New Schools
Organisations interested in opening a new school in Oxfordshire can contact our School Organisation and Planning team for information and advice.
New schools
Invitation to submit proposals for two new Special Schools for Didcot
Oxfordshire County Council is inviting proposals under Section 7 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 for the establishment and operation of two new special schools within Oxfordshire. The invitation is being issued in accordance with the Department for Education's Opening new schools statutory guidance published in May 2026.
The council has identified a need for additional specialist provision to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and has approved the development of two new special schools as part of its wider SEND Sufficiency Strategy.
The council is therefore seeking proposals from suitably experienced and capable organisations to establish and operate these schools.
Full details of each school, including the proposed designation, age range, capacity, opening arrangements, site information and educational requirements, are set out in the specifications on the council's Let’s Talk consultation portal linked below:
Proposers may submit:
- a proposal for School A only;
- a proposal for School B only; or
- proposals for both schools.
Where a proposer wishes to be considered for both schools, separate proposals must be submitted for each school unless otherwise stated within the application documentation.
The submission window opens on 14 September 2026 and closes on 9 November 2026.
Assessment Process
Following the submission deadline, proposals will be assessed against the published evaluation criteria.
In accordance with the statutory process:
- all proposals received will be published;
- a statutory representation period will be undertaken before any determination is made; and
- proposals will be evaluated having regard to the published criteria and any representations received.
The council may invite shortlisted proposers to attend an interview and presentation session as part of the evaluation process.
New Primary School for Didcot – Valley Park Academy
A new primary school for Didcot is planned in the Valley Park development to meet the needs of recent and planned housing growth. The school is expected to open in September 2027 and will be run by Omnia Learning Trust, which was confirmed as the sponsor in 2025.
The school will be led by Executive Principal Alison Ashcroft, currently Executive Principal of sister schools Didcot Primary Academy and Sires Hill Primary Academy. Alison will become Executive Principal of both Valley Park and Didcot Primary Academies by September 2027.
New SEMH/ASD special school for Faringdon
The Gallery Trust is opening a new special school in the south, in Faringdon, due to open in 2027.
This will be called the Artemis Academy.
Other new schools
Further new schools are planned to meet the needs of Oxfordshire’s growing population. Details of those schools will be published on this website when there is a firm timescale for opening. Information about expected future new schools can be found in the Pupil Place Plan on our Planning enough school places page.