Work has started in Witney on the first primary school in the county to provide education for mainstream children and those with special needs under one roof.

Madley Brook and Springfield Primary School is being built on the new Madley Park development, which will have about 950 new homes, shops, community centre and playing fields.

Oxfordshire County Council chairman Charles Shouler joined children from Witney's Springfield School to start building work on the school, which will have state-of-the-art facilities.

The site contains a bronze age barrow and the school buildings have been designed to wrap around the archaeological ring in a semi-circle.

Cllr Shouler said: "I am delighted to be launching this project. The provision of this new school will help cater for the expanding population of Witney and I am pleased that it is to include new facilities for Springfield School, whose present accommodation is unsuitable."

The developers of the site are providing funding to help pay for part of the school, which will cost £4.4m.

The primary school is due to open in March 2003 and Springfield School will move from its existing premises in the summer of 2003. It is raising £250,000 to provide a hydrotherapy pool for its pupils and disabled people.

The new school will include nine classrooms for mainstream pupils and seven for children with learning disabilities. There will be one integrated nursery and one special school nursery. IT facilities will be shared as will the library and food technology facilities. Head of Springfield School Christina Niner said: "We are extremely fortunate to be included in this exciting new development. Our pupils, for the first time, will have access to a purpose-built school designed to meet their needs."