A-LEVEL Students in Oxfordshire are achieving results below the national average, according to league tables published today. Sixth-formers at state schools and further education colleges in the county achieved an average of 721.3 points in
Ardington started off strongly forcing Cholsey’s keeper to come out and clear the ball. Cholsey kept up the pressure and Charlie’s first shot was just wide of the post. Charlie and William had two more fantastic shots which were just wide of the
IMPROVEMENTS in GCSE results at schools in Oxfordshire have put the county in the top third of national league tables. The proportion of pupils getting five good GCSEs last year, including English and maths, rose by 4.4 per cent from the 2009 results
THE old art block at Banbury college is set to undergo a major £3.5m refurbishment which will see it transformed into a state-of-the-art teaching centre. Work on site, in Broughton Road, started on Monday and the new block, called the creative industries
A PARALYMPIAN gave an inspirational speech to pupils to encourage them to strive for their dreams. Ian Rose told Year Seven children at Fitzharrys School, in Abingdon, how he overcame childhood eye cancer that left him virtually blind to win
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Police this afternoon appealed for information after two burglaries in Marcham. The burglaries both took place during the daytime on January 5. The first of these was at a property in Chancel Way, between 7.30am and 5.05pm. Burglars forced their
Oxford United's home game against Stevenage has been rearranged for Tuesday, March 15, with a 7.45 kick-off. The U's were due to face Graham Westley's side on Saturday, January 29, but that game was forced to be postponed after Stevenage secured a place
In my early days on the road I owned — or at any rate regularly drove — a number of cars of types later judged to be classics. Sadly, this verdict was in all cases delivered after my decaying examples had long gone to the scrapheap. Of the
Meals don’t have to be dull because we are in the middle of winter. In fact, if you are prepared to use your imagination and stock your kitchen with an assortment of seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs, you can eat very well during January.
Maybe it was the sight of a large indoor plant placed outside the wardrobe in my room — to make way for the Christmas tree in the dining room — that reminded me of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (back to front as it were); or maybe it was
Few actresses embody working-class pluck and ballsiness on screen as compellingly as Hilary Swank. She won her first Oscar in 2000 for her scintillating portrayal of murdered transgender teenager Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry. Five years later, she
I came across predictable online whingeing from the real ale brigade over the restyling of the Bird in Hand at Sonning Common as a gastropub. Don’t the dimwits of Camra realise that the availability of top-class food is the surest way for a pub
Because the flavour of celery and celeriac are so similar, they combine perfectly when cooked together and turned into a very satisfying winter soup, that is so easy to make it can be cooked in less than half an hour. Many people shun celeriac as it
Two exhibitions of art put together by the Oxford-based Creative Collection proved so successful that the Jam Factory, in Park End Street, is now staging the third. The walls of the exhibition space and restaurant are adorned with the work of 27 up-and-coming
The Headington Singers’ Silver Jubilee concert began joyfully with Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens, a suitably celebratory piece that the choir clearly found inspiring, judging by the whole-hearted gusto with which they delivered it. Under conductor Sally
A little goose girl guides her flock, another girl stops cutting cabbages in a wintry field to watch as we pass, and Old Willie the farm labourer and village worthy from Kirkcudbright stands, impassive. Meanwhile, a tennis party is caught mid-shot on
There are some bands for whom playing the top room of a pub is no problem at all. Loud, raucous rock ’n’ rollers don’t have to worry about punters chatting or shouting into their mobile phones; they can just turn their amps up and blast the gossip-mongery
Wide and airy St Michael’s, Summertown, has become a much-favoured recording venue in recent years. But in the dead of winter, all that acoustically excellent space presents a challenge to even the most robust of boilers, and a chilly evening meant that
From the opening waltz for the corps de ballet it is plain that this company is in great form — highly disciplined, but also musical and engaging; and at the centre of this excellent production is a stunning performance by Maria Kuimova. But it also contains
Before the death metal playing over the PA fades and Andrew O’Neill even opens his mouth, any preconceptions the audience may have that comedians are sharp suited men with an arsenal of quick-fire put downs and lots of sex jokes are quickly dispensed
When Oxford University awarded Dame Mitsuko Uchida an honorary doctorate in 2009 she offered to give a recital for the benefit of the Faculty of Music. Tuesday night’s concert at the Sheldonian was the result — and what an amazing treat. After hearing
A fire in a horsebox today caused delays on the M40 in north Oxfordshire. The vehicle caught fire on the northbound carriageway between junction ten at the Cherwell Valley Services and junction 11 at Banbury. Traffic was at a standstill for a time while
THE final battle over where hundreds of homes should be built in Wallingford is coming to a head with a crunch vote tonight. Residents are fighting South Oxfordshire District Council’s decision to allow 400 homes at Slade End Farm and have
HOUSING chiefs are pressing ahead with a 4,300-home development blueprint for West Oxfordshire. The district council is sticking to the 4,300 target imposed by the Labour Government, even though the coalition Government said councils now have the final
FOOTBALLERS and netball players have netted another £40,000 grant towards a £2.1m facelift of their facilities. The money means Oxford City Football Club and Oxfordshire Netball are looking forward to playing on new pitches and courts at Court Place
Carterton booked their place in round two of the Thames Valley League Cup with a 5-3 win at Stony Stratford Town Res. Carterton were 2-0 ahead inside ten minutes with a brace from Stacey Oakey. Sophie Thomas made it 3-0 on the half-hour, before Courtney
COUNCIL leaders have been criticised over “shambolic” delays to the reopening of Didcot Civic Hall after a £13m improvement scheme. The town council had planned to start work last October, with the reopening expected in late spring. But preparatory
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A GARDEN centre has gone on trial accused of breaching health and safety laws after a pensioner was injured on its premises. The Chilton Garden Centre, near Didcot, denies two charges under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act. Derek Barlow was 78
Sir – As a prostate cancer survivor (since 2002), I greatly welcome the introduction of the da vinci technique by the Oxford Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital. There was, however, a major omission in your report. The technique allows the surgeon
CONTROVERSIAL plans to expand the number of events at Cornbury Park in West Oxfordshire have been approved. On Monday, Lord and Lady Rotherwick were granted a licence for 13 annual events, despite objections from local residents. They originally wanted
A FORMER Scout leader who systematically sexually abused a boy more than 40 years ago has been convicted of all charges. Roger Franklin was yesterday unanimously found guilty by jurors at Oxford Crown Court of four counts of indecent assault
Autotype UTV League Premier Division outfit AFC Hinksey were given a fright by Division 3A side Railway Wheatley in the OFA Sam Waters Cup before edging into the quarter-finals 3-2. Tom Williams put the underdogs a goal up, Anaclet Odhiambo levelling
Defending champions Saxton Rovers kept up the pressure on leaders Lambourn with a 4-0 win against Kintbury Rangers in North Berks League Division 1. Mike Beale, Gary Hartley, Danny Parry and Tom Aldsworth got the other goals. A Tim Barton double gave
Otis Woodward bagged a four-timer as Crown & Thistle thrashed Nuffield Arms 7-2 in the RT Harris Oxford City FA. Crown keeper Darren Kinch saved a penalty, with OwainMcLennon, Sonny Lindo and Chris Haines finding the net. Mossy Rana replied. Sub Craig
Lawrence Hoey hit a hat-trick as Didcot Casuals won 4-2 away to FC Beaconsfield in the fourth round of the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup. Paul Powell hit a 25-yard screamer as Causals saw off their East Berks Premier League opponents.
OXFORDSHIRE County Council must not bar people from the public gallery at next month’s cuts meeting. It backtracked over a ban for a meeting yesterday, after initially claiming too many people attending would be a health and safety risk. Shunting the
Wes Bone smashed a five-timer in Heyford Athletic’s 12-0 thrashing of Hardwick OB in Division 1 of the Banbury District & Lord Jersey FA. Mark Byrne (3), Adam Barker (2), Darren Walden and Keith Adams also netted. Rich Englishby scored
COUNTY Hall performed an eleventh hour u-turn and decided not to close its public gallery at an important council meeting yesterday. Oxfordshire County Council came under fire after it barred people from using the first floor gallery, at its
Barton United show no signs of letting up in their bid for a first Autotype UTV League Premier title with a whopping 12-4 victory over AFC Woodfarm. Julian McCalmon and former Oxford United winger Joey Beauchamp both notched four-timers, one of Beauchamp
Martin Hall struck the winning spot kick as Oxfordshire Senior League side Stonesfield reached the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup with a 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory against Marston Saints. He fired in after Marston had missed their last penalty
THIEVES crept into an Abingdon church while children told the story of the birth of Jesus, and stole two mobile phones and a purse. They walked into Trinity Methodist Church, in Conduit Road, through an unlocked door in the vestry at 6.45pm
Tom Eatwell and Rob Joyce bagged a brace apiece for Ardington & Lockinge as the North Berks League side thrashed Reading League Division 1 outfit South Reading Community Centre 5-1 to reach the fourth round of the Berks & Bucks Junior Cup. Josh Cottrell
Three players smashed doubles as Wantage saw off Marston Saints Angels 7-3 in the Oxford Mail Girls Under 13 League. Holly Clack, Jess Price and Emma Rose did the damage for the visitors, with Laura Blackshaw completing their tally.
WE NOW know that councillor Jean Fooks opposes the closure of any libraries (Oxford Mail, January 6). All we now need to know is where she would make the £2m cut to be able to reprieve the libraries? She will have a chance to do this when the Liberal
I went to the recent County Hall meeting to hear the Cabinet consider what it would recommend to the full council about the cuts. It was very sad to hear of children and young people who are carers, who are threatened with the loss of support from the
I KNOW the weather was bad, but on December 20, 21 and 22 there was no letter post. On December 23 there was also no letter post, but I saw a van in the road outside. On December 24, two small parcels were delivered. December 25, 26 and 27 were bank
THE world has officially gone mad. And if you don’t think so now, read on, and see if I can convince you. It all started the other day when my boss at JACK FM purchased a trailer load of salt to clear the pathway to our door. We were all ready to do
NHS chiefs have launched an investigation after a family claimed a doctor refused to visited their disabled son two days before he was found dead. Steven Nolan, from Botley, Oxford, suffered with Muscular Dystrophy – a disease which affects and weakens
Joel King stole the show for Hailey as they beat Charlbury Town 4-3 in a third round of the OFA John Fathers Junior Shield. King bagged all four Hailey goals as they came back from 3-2 down to clinch victory. Craig McCallum, Tony Bott and Sean Gilbert
Hanborough kicked off the new year with a 2-1 victory over Kingham All Blacks as they moved up to third in the Premier Division of the Witney & District FA. Gareth Tyak netted for Kingham, but strikes from Richard Rouse and Aston Leach gave Hanborough
A pretty incompetent county council not only has one of the worst records in the country for poor achievement levels at primary school level (and seems not to be doing anything about the issue) but compounds the damage by proposing to close more than
WITH the price of petrol making headline news, can anybody tell me what .90 of a penny looks like? I would have thought it was illegal to advertise for sale something that was priced in a non-existent coin. R COLLINS, The Crescent, Carterton
OUR congratulations go to the headmistress and staff of Rose Hill Primary School, Oxford. Without tongue in cheek, may I say how delighted I was to read such cheering words about educational endeavour in English language and literature, and Maths Key
I WRITE regarding water meters. Over the years we have always had a choice, whether we want it or not, but now it seems the Government has taken the choice away from us, by giving water companies the go-ahead to fit meters. We now have no say in the
CONTRARY to the impression given by the coverage of the Boxing Day meet of the Heythrop Hunt (Hundreds show support for local hunt, Oxford Mail, December 29), bloodsports do not find favour in the overwhelming majority of the British public. That is
A BID to slash county councillor allowance payouts by £500,000 a year has been quashed. Labour members wanted all entitlements cut by 50 per cent, and the savings invested in under-fire services. But ruling Tories, with Liberal Democrats, voted down
A MOTORIST who exposed himself to two groups of schoolgirls in Kidlington has been sentenced to a community order. BMW driver Sean McGrae slowed down in Cromwell Way to ask a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old girl directions to Bicester. As he did so he
A NETWORK of electric car charging points has been fitted in 11 Oxford car parks, allowing green-minded drivers to recharge free. Electric car users can now plug their vehicles into the 20 public recharging points in city centre and park-and
OXFORDSHIRE stormed to a 5-1 win over West Midlands in the ESFA Under 14 Inter County Trophy quarter-final at Milton United. Giorgio Rasulo gave Oxon an eighth-minute lead, which Josh Smile doubled ten minutes later. Luke Delaney pulled one back with
Cheney School fly the flag for Oxford United today in the npower Football League Under 13 Girls Cup in the regional south area final at Wycombe. They will be competing against schools representing Bournemouth, Aldershot, Brentford, Portsmouth, QPR, Reading
Giles Sports Witney Youth League LUKE Bolley led the way with a hat-trick as Witney Vikings recorded a resounding 14-0 victory over Banbury United in the Under 15 League. Jack Scott, Lewis Bartlett and Ben Hardcastle added doubles, with Craig Keylock
OFA Invitation Youth League SUMMERTOWN’S Alfie Goodwin and Dash Ward bagged a brace apiece in a 4-1 win against Charlbury in the Under 16D League. Ward capitalised on a defensive mix-up to slot home the opener after 20 minutes, and Goodwin doubled their
ANOTHER day and another blow for Oxford’s city centre with the foundering of plans to build a £22m shopping arcade in St Aldate’s. Global equity firm the Carlyle Group has withdrawn its planned shopping centre linked to Queen Street because it cannot
A MULTI-MILLION pound plan to build a shopping centre in the heart of the city has been dumped after a funding row between developers and the Town Hall. The Oxford Mail has learnt global equity firm, the Carlyle Group, has withdrawn its plan
AN OXFORD musician has pulled together some of the city’s best unsigned talent to share with other music lovers for free. Guitarist Aaron Delgado wanted to show people the best of Oxford’s flourishing music scene, without incurring the huge
THE forthcoming census may be vital for council, NHS and transport chiefs, but for one family it uncovered the shady past of a notorious gangster and a small fortune. The family of Raymond Maynard shared a £250,000 estate after being tracked down through
OXFORD United goalkeeper Ryan Clarke has signed a new three-and-a-half year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014. The 28-year-old, who joined the U’s from Northwich Victoria in the summer of 2009, was a key member of the team that
ABINGDON United scored three goals in the final five minutes to record their first win in ten matches with a 5-1 success at Andover last night. Richie Bourne’s side had fallen alarmingly down the Zamaretto Southern League Division 1 South & West table
