PARENTS have applied for a new ‘free school’ to carry on the work of Culham’s European School, which is set to close in 2017.

The Europa School would run alongside the European School and offer the same curriculum until the latter closed. It would take on more youngsters as the closure date drew closer.

The school was set up in 1978 to provide for children of employees of the European Commission’s JET nuclear fusion project.

But it is set to close because there are now not enough parents working there. However, supporters are desperate to ensure its legacy of teaching lessons in French, German and English continues.

The move comes after plans to make it an academy, which would be state-funded but run outside of council control, collapsed in February. The steering group behind the plans hopes it will avoid the complicated transfer of staff and pupils that scuppered the academy project.

But they have asked for Government backing to continue teaching the European Baccalaureate, instead of GCSEs, which requires pupils to learn some of their subjects in a foreign language.

Steering group chairman Maurizio Fantato said: “The main reason the academy plan collapsed was that it was trying to take the existing school and turn it into a different school. Probably the most difficult problem that arose was the process of transformation.

“We see this as a way in which the European School remains the same, but the new school will take over the pupils and share the premises. It is less complicated and less ambitious than the plans were before.

“In effect, it will only be a name change.”

He said: “We do not want to compete with other schools in the area, but to provide an alternative model of education.”

The Government introduced free schools, which are state-funded but set up by communities, last year. The proposal was lodged with the Department for Education last week.

If ministers back the project, the new school could get its first intake of up to 65 pupils in September 2011.

The Europa School would have a different headteacher and staff and eventually take 700 to 800 pupils, aged four to 18.

Henley MP John Howell, who has backed efforts to save the European School, said: “One of the things I am most pleased about is the European School for the first time has managed to get into one organisation all those different groups who want to see a future for it.” He said: “There is an issue of continuing with the European Baccalaureate there, as to whether it can be delivered under the financial regime of a free school.

“Currently, the European School benefits from considerable financial assistance from Brussels, which is hiding the true cost of running that sort of education.”