Two schools are set to realise ambitious plans after being given specialist school status by the Government.

Sports teacher Fin Robb and PE team leader Adam Barker are pictured with some of their pupils

Chipping Norton School has been given specialist status in performing arts and Wallingford School has earned it in sports.

Both schools raised £50,000 as part of their bid and will receive more than £600,000 each over the next four years to improve facilities.

The announcement brings to 20 the number of specialist schools in the county.

Jerry Owens, headteacher of Wallingford School, said: "We believe we will be able to raise standards throughout the school, not just in sports. We plan to improve our provision of a wide range of activities which could be classified as sports, things like dance, skateboarding, mountain biking and climbing.

"Young people enjoy these sorts of things that are not normally offered at school and if we can show that we value them, we can make our pupils feel better about themselves and about coming to school."

New facilities to be introduced at the school include a climbing wall, a fitness suite, a dance studio, mountain bikes and mobile skateboarding facilities.

Chipping Norton School headteacher Richard Graydon said: "We chose it because performance is an element in learning across the whole curriculum," he said. "In English, students are required to give talks and presentations. In history, our students have done things like spending the day living like Tudors, and we had a very funny pantomime entirely in German.

"We also chose performing arts because there is a strong tradition of it in the school, and in Chipping Norton where The Theatre is very popular."

Both schools will also improve the provision of their specialised subjects in their feeder primary schools.

Tony Crabbe, Oxfordshire County Council's executive member for schools, said: "This is terrific news and well done to the two schools who have put so much hard work in to gaining this much sought-after status."

Last week, Abingdon's Larkmead, Fitzharrys and John Mason secondary schools failed to achieve joint specialist status. They plan to try again in March.

Other schools in Oxfordshire with specialist status are: Wheatley Park School (media arts); Cheney School, Didcot Girls School, and Henry Box School (languages); Lord Williams's School, King Alfred's School and Blessed George Napier School (sports); Peers School, St Birinus School, Bicester Community College, The Warriner School, Bloxham, Burford School and Community College and Bartholomew School, Eynsham (technology); Faringdon Community College (engineering); Gosford Hill School and Gillotts School (Maths and Computing); The Cherwell School and Matthew Arnold School (science).

More than half of all secondary schools in the South East have now gained specialist status.