WORK is almost complete on the first school in Bicester's eco-town.

Gagle Brook Primary School headteacher Alan Derry said he was hopeful the buildings would be finished by the end of November ahead of pupils starting next year.

Some classrooms are already all-but finished and once the building is ready it will be able to open for community events.

Mr Derry said: "We are looking at the end of November when we will be having our first community events.

"It is such a fantastic community.

"It has gone brilliantly so far, Oxfordshire County Council and the contractors Carillion have been so helpful.

"We have had a lot of say on what will go inside, on the colour scheme and so on and we have really felt part of the process."

The school had been due to open its doors to pupils in September but the date was set back by a year to allow more families to sign their children up.

It has been built alongside the first 393 eco homes created off the B4100 in Bicester and the school will be zero carbon and environmentally friendly.

Mr Derry said: "We want to make sure we have got a really good quality school, teachers and support staff who can make children make good choices and ask good questions.

"That is really at the hart of the curriculum.

"Gagle Brook will be a unique school because it will be looking at doing things in a new way.

"At the core of what we do will be the 10 one planet principles."

These principles are central to the development of the eco town and include a focus on zero carbon, zero waste, culture and heritage and sustainable water.

Mr Derry, who will be taking on his first headship at the school, said: "I have been welcoming families at the welcome events.

"We have had two of those so far and it has been lovely to meet children even before they start here."