SCHOOLS have less than three weeks to be in with a chance of winning a £7,500 makeover.

For the fourth year, the Oxford Mail has teamed up with Abingdon construction company Leadbitter to offer one lucky primary school the chance for much needed improvements.

So far four schools have benefited from the competition, winning makeovers for sensory gardens, new bird hides, outdoor classrooms and swimming pool revamps.

Leadbitter operations director Ian Batchelor urged schools to put their thinking caps on and come up with a scheme that could transform their surroundings.

He said: “We are delighted to offer such a big prize at a time when most schools have to tighten their belts.

“A high percentage of our work is in the education sector and we like to give something back.

“Last year there was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm from children at the schools and we were overwhelmed by the commitment from them.”

Mr Batchelor has been involved with the contest for the past three years, and said it was always a project Leadbitter staff enjoyed working on.

He said: “It is a tight timeframe but we like a challenge.

“Everybody is always enthusiastic, and our guys are always pleased to be working in the community and giving things back to the community.”

To enter, schools need to fill in the form, right, and send it to the Oxford Mail at Osney Mead, OX2 0EJ, by Thursday, June 14, explaining the project in no less than 300 words and detailing how it will be sustainable and what benefits it will bring.

Drawings, photographs and accompanying statements from parents, pupils and teachers can be used to back up the application.

The project should not need planning permission or major structural change.

Once the entries are in, a panel of judges from the Oxford Mail and Leadbitter will go over the proposals with a fine toothcomb and pick 10 to go to the final.

Each finalist will have its proposed scheme featured in the newspaper, starting on Monday, June 25.

Alongside each story vouchers will be printed, and it is then over to the schools and their supporters to collect as many vouchers as possible to win the top prize.

To ensure the contest is fair, tokens will be mathematically weighted according to the number of pupils at the school.

Once the tokens are totted up, the winning school will be announced in July, with the improvements carried out by Leadbitter staff over the summer holidays.