A village school has been praised for promoting high standards and offering value for money. An Ofsted report on Beckley Church of England School, near Oxford, said it has a supportive environment where pupils thrive. The inspectors, who visited in February
Hard-up parents will be forced to pay more after a pre-school lost a bid for Lottery cash. The Shepherd's Hill group in Nightingale Avenue, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, was to receive funding as part of an £888,000 bid for money to pay for services for the
Granville and Arkwright eat your heart out. Best friends Simon Jones, of Charlton-on-Otmoor, and Richard Tyack, of Forest Hill, have given up high-flying jobs to run a grocery shop. The pair, who went to Abingdon School, have harboured dreams of going
Oxford University postgraduate Mervyn Matthews defied KGB spymasters and the weight of British officialdom to rescue his fiancee from the Soviet Union. He first studied Russian at Manchester, then embarked on "exceedingly boring dissertation on Soviet
A black teenager was set on fire by racist thugs as he walked home after an evening with friends. A gang of white youths targeted him in a vicious petrol attack which left the terrified 17-year-old screaming and ripping off his scorched jacket. His jeering
Campaigners fighting Oxford's controversial transport scheme may soon drop their opposition after they were told: "We'll sort out your problems." Traders from the Covered Market have voiced strong opposition to the city's transport strategy from the start
A woman and her fianc were today starting life sentences after being convicted of the brutal torture and murder of her ex-lover. Tracey Kyte and Bryne Lincoln kidnapped and murdered Sean Wearmouth after suspecting that he had made Kyte's teenage sister
Money is continuing to pour in to our Medibike Appeal. Last month, the Oxford Mail announced that generous readers had raised £15,000 to pay for a Suzuki Hayabusa - the fastest bike on the road. We gave the money to cash-strapped Oxfordshire Ambulance
Town councillors have given a resounding no to controversial plans to put up a 20-metre mobile phone mast in a sports park. Abingdon town councillors opposed the Vodafone application for Tilsley Park - saying no decision should be made until the Government's
Little Joe would at one time lie inert, if contented, on his bed. Now he has the chance to sits up, make his own decisions and take control. And his channel for this new lease of life is a marvellous computer bought with money raised by the Oxford Mail's
As a health reporter, my diary is full of awareness weeks for medical conditions which, every year, have seven days dedicated to their cause, writes Victoria Owen. Next week is particularly poignant for me. It's Multiple Sclerosis week. My father, Nic
