A GROUP of parents plan to open a revolutionary 800-pupil secondary school linked to hi-tech companies and offering a curriculum focussed on engineering, science and business.

The New Oxford School Trust has put forward the most ambitious ‘free school’ proposal to date and is seeking backing from the Department for Education to open the 11-to-19 school at Harwell or Milton Park in September next year.

Local headteachers said the school was not needed and would undermine funding for existing schools.

The trust wants to open the school in the Science Vale UK area, with pupils from around the county and working with companies.

Project champion Joanna Birkett, from Kennington, said: “An original group of five parents thought there was a gap for this particular type of education and so have tried to put forward this idea for several years.

“The ‘free school’ policy has given us the opportunity. We really felt exposure to the working world in a much more varied way is a key factor in helping youngsters who do not achieve what they otherwise could.”

The plan is backed by Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation, which runs three academies in London and Kent, while Abingdon and Witney College would offer sixth form qualifications, including vocational BTECs.

If Education Secretary Michael Gove backs the plans, which will be sent to ministers this month, the school would be run independently of Oxfordshire County Council, but funded by taxpayers.

Didcot Girls’ School head Rachael Warwick said the school was not needed and that was the view of all the secondary schools in Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage.

She said: “As headteachers, we feel that young people within south Oxfordshire already have a wide choice of schools offering excellent educational opportunities and links with the science and business communities.”

She added: “We can see no reason why parents would want to risk their children’s future success on the uncertainties inherent within the proposal of a free school.”

Mrs Birkett said the school would have a longer working day with regular visits from scientists, engineers and businessmen.

As pupils got older, they would spend half-days and lessons at companies to develop workplace skills.

She said: “We have been talking to the county council about having a fairly big catchment area to give pupils across a wide area the opportunity to benefit from something different. That also means it will not impact very much on the existing secondary schools already there.”

Oxfordshire County Council said it would not comment until the final proposal went to the Government.

Business leaders and Wantage MP Ed Vaizey backed the plans, but headteachers and teaching unions said they were “confused and contradictory”.

Darren Oliveiro-Priestnall, technology director at Culham space research firm Red Skies Technology, said: “While a lot of university students have strong academic skills, finding skills really applicable to the commercial and technology sectors can be really challenging. I get the impression pupils are not really getting as much focus on these as they should be, and that is a real shame.”

* The trust will outline its plans tomorrow at Chilton village hall, at 8pm.