WITH hundreds of families set to move to Bicester in coming years, residents are being asked to help shape a new secondary school.

A new 600-pupil school is planned for the Kingsmere Estate in the south west of the town to help tackle an estimated increase of 3,200 school-age children by 2024.

Oxfordshire County Council has launched a public consultation on the new school and seeks feedback on details such as specialisms or a traditional curriculum and community inclusion out-of-hours.

Debbie Pickford, Bicester town councillor for South West ward, which covers Kingsmere, said: “Everyone is very delighted.

“It is absolutely fabulous – in my view – that the decision for a new secondary school has been made.

“We have been campaigning for a long time and, during the hard times we are in, it is great for Bicester.”

Commenting on whether the school should specialise in a particular subject Miss Pickford added: “All choices of school are open in my opinion, every child is different and a variety of specialist schools would help match their personalities.

“We have The Cooper School and The Bicester School specialising in science and we have the wonderful studio school [specialising in sustainable technology] for which plans have just come through, so plans for another make a choice for everyone.”

Oxfordshire County Council estimates a need for 1,800 more primary school children and 1,400 secondary aged children in Bicester by 2024.

Numbers are expected to continue to grow due to developments including the 6,000-home eco town in North West Bicester and 2,100 self build homes at Graven Hill.

Kingsmere Village itself is also expected to have up to 2,468 homes built by 2031.

The new school, which will be built alongside the A41 Oxford Road, will take pupils aged 11 to 16, with 60 students starting in September 2018.

The county council is looking for potential sponsors for the school.

Residents are being asked to comment on whether the school should specialise in sports, health and well-being as it will neighbour the new Kingsmere Sports Village currently under construction.

They are also being asked whether there are any local industries that children could be trained for.

A further area in the consultation includes whether the school should be open out-of-hours for residents to use.

It seeks expressions of interest before Monday, February 8, and hopes to make a final decision by September 2016.

* To comment on the proposed new school contact diane.cameron@oxfordshire.gov.uk before Sunday, October 18.