£900,000 Safety Work Approved for Special School

A special school is set to undergo £900,000 worth of work following the identification of issues by inspectors. Woodeaton Manor School, located near Oxford, was described as “chaotic” during an Ofsted inspection conducted in October 2023. It is also understood that the regulatory body carried out a monitoring visit to the school recently. Oxfordshire County Council stated that the school would see the replacement of fire doors across its premises, alongside other “fire safety improvements to meet the latest legislative standards.” An authority spokesperson indicated that work on “suitable perimeter fencing” and new entrance gates has been commissioned, with potential completion by March 2025. The council expressed concern that the school might be unable to operate at full capacity if these improvements were not implemented. The institution serves as both a day and residential school for children diagnosed with autism and severe social and emotional needs. At the beginning of the year, it was oversubscribed, accommodating 92 pupils aged seven to 18. The school’s board of governors resigned in December, leading to the subsequent appointment of a headteacher and a new interim board. Lorna Baxter, the county council’s executive director of resources, made the decision to allocate funding for the work at the school. Her decision was prompted by the “short timescales required” and the understanding that preparing a report, which could have extended over several months, would have caused undue delay.