Radley Schools Group announced that Tim Knapp will serve as the new head of Kitebrook Prep School, a day and boarding independent school set in the heart of the Cotswolds countryside.

Mr Knapp brings more than 20 years of experience in prep school education, joining the Cotswolds institution from Pinewood School on the Oxfordshire border, where he has been deputy head since 2022.

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Before that, the teacher’s experience includes two years at Chandlings and 15 years in senior roles at The Dragon School in Oxford, after completing his degree and PGCE at Exeter University.

Mr Knapp said: “I am honoured to have been offered this position and look forward to harnessing and building on the school’s notable strengths: its nurturing environment; its strong academic outcomes and its distinctive location.

“The opportunity to lead Kitebrook is both inspiring and humbling.”

Tim Knapp, incoming head of Kitebrook school (Image: Kitebrook)

He will join as head of Kitebrook from the new academic year starting in September and is expected to bring ‘dynamism and innovation’ to the role.

Andrew Ashton, chief executive (prep schools) for Radley Schools Group said: “We were heartened to see such a strong field of applicants for this role, but Tim stood out for his energy, optimism and deep understanding of prep school education. 

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“With his boarding expertise and balanced approach to academic excellence, co-curricular enrichment and character development, he is an exceptional fit for Kitebrook. 

“We looking forward to welcoming Tim, his wife Emma, and their children to Kitebrook and the wider Radley Schools Group community.”

Radley Schools Group, launched in September last year, brings together eight private schools in the southeast, including Radley College, Cothill and Chandlings in Oxford.

Councillor Rebekah Fletcher has been made the cabinet member for transport management at Oxfordshire County Council after Councillor Andrew Gant announced he was standing down at midday today, (Monday) May 11.

Ms Fletcher is the Liberal Democrat member for Harwell, Western Valley & Blewbury.

She was elected in 2025 and has lived in Oxfordshire since 2021.

Ms Fletcher works for a medical school in London, so her particular interests lie in improving community health, wellbeing and social care provision.

The appointment has been listed on her “councillor details” page on the Oxfordshire County Council website.

Her Oxfordshire’s Responsibilities include: public transport, highways management, streetlighting and parking.

Potholes, the continuation of the congestion charge, set to become traffic filters after the reopening of the Botley road this summer, zero-emission zones, potential new park and rides, and the expansion of 20 mph limits are all in her remit.

This follows Mr Gant standing down from the post after four years.

He said: “I am hugely proud of all we have achieved, and now is the right time to think about demands and priorities.

“I look forward to supporting the clear principles of this visionary Liberal Democrat administration in any way I can.”

After a four-year tenure, Councillor Andrew Gant (Lib Dem) will step away from his county council post as cabinet member for transport management.

He said: “After four years in post I have decided not to seek re-election to the cabinet of Oxfordshire County Council.

“I am hugely proud of all we have achieved, and now is the right time to think about demands and priorities.

“I look forward to supporting the clear principles of this visionary Liberal Democrat administration in any way I can.”

This comes ahead of the local authority’s annual full council meeting tomorrow, May 12.

It follows the loss of a Lib Dem majority at the county council, with fellow cabinet member Cllr Ben Higgins leaving his role and the party to become independent, with Cllr Nick Cotter following suit on May 7.

Cllr Ben Higgins (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

(Image: OCC)

In recent weeks, Mr Gant has apologised for inaccurate data being used to report on the congestion charge, saying the local authority had been “let down” by a company contracted to compile information.

He has stood by the signage for the charge, which has been described by local businesses as “misleading”, placed miles away from congestion charge zones.

The new congestion charge sign on Cumnor Hill (Image: Andy Ffrench)

He has slammed the criticisms of the county’s pothole strategy, inviting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to visit Oxfordshire after he suggested the local authority has not been using government money effectively to fix its roads.

Mr Gant, a stipendiary lecturer in music at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, also holds a seat on the city council, has been involved in local politics for over a decade.

First elected to the city council for the Lib Dems in Summertown in May 2014, he has unsuccessfully run as a parliamentary candidate for The Cotswolds and Staffordshire Moorlands constituencies in 2017 and 2019.

He was elected to the county council in 2021, becoming a cabinet member in 2022.

Mr Gant has represented several wards amid boundary changes.

He currently represents Wolvercote & Cutteslowe at the county level, for the city, Cutteslowe & Sunnymead.

He intends to continue as a ward councillor despite leaving his cabinet role.

Liz Leffman (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

Leader of the council, Liz Leffman, stated: “I would like to thank Andrew for his years of service to our communities as Cabinet member for Transport Management.

“Under his guidance, Oxfordshire has become a flagship for safer, cleaner transport and active travel, with the introduction of 20mph speed limits, safer cycling and walking in our towns and villages, and the introduction of electric buses and the temporary congestion charge in Oxford.

“He will of course continue to be a member the Lib Dem group on the County Council, and I look forward to working with him in that capacity.”

A replacement has not yet been confirmed for Mr Gant’s transport role.