EVERY student in East Oxford will have the chance to reach new heights of achievement.”

That was the message as Oxford School marked its last day before becoming an academy after the Christmas break.

Hundreds of pupils attended a final assembly yesterday afternoon and will return in January to the newly-created Oxford Spires Academy.

The change in status means the school in Glanville Road, East Oxford, will no longer have its finances and curriculum controlled by Oxfordshire County Council.

Associate headteacher Maurice Dixon, who took the assembly, will become vice principal of the academy and Sue Croft will become principal.

Mr Dixon said: “The change to academy status will be the latest in a series of changes throughout the school’s history. I chose to focus on the theme of evolution for my final assembly as all that has been good about Oxford School will continue.”

The academy will take up to 1,050 children, aged 11 to 19, with a 250-place sixth form, and will specialise in English, and business and enterprise.

A new uniform and logo have been designed, and building work in the reception area will take place during the Christmas holidays.

Students will also find themselves divided into four school houses when they return to classes in January.

Oxford School was established in 1966, following a merger between Southfield Grammar School and the City of Oxford High School for Boys.

It was a single-sex grammar school for boys until 1976, when it became fully comprehensive. The school gained business and enterprise status in 2005.

Looking ahead to the future, Mr Dixon added: “Academy status will help us ensure every student reaches new heights of achievement.

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to step in and run the school for a short while and I have every confidence that Sue Croft has the vision and determination needed to make the academy the first choice for local families.”

The academy is being sponsored by the CfBT Education Trust in partnership with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and the county council.

Earlier this year Mrs Croft told the Oxford Mail there would be “change from day one” for pupils, parents and staff.

She said: “There’s now a real buzz of anticipation. There will be a steep change in January, both in the environment and levels of expectation.

“More will be expected of students in the classroom, in their homework and in the way they conduct themselves.”

The change to academy caused controversy in the summer, with opponents launching a campaign to block the move. In a county council questionnaire, only 15 respondents out of 75 agreed with the proposal while 58 were against it.

A petition against the plan, which attracted 599 signatures, was also presented to the council.

Academy supporters argued the move was vital to drive up results, which rose from 25 per cent getting five A* to C results including English and Maths in 2005 to 32 per cent in 2010.