Among the Oxfordshire schools to have closed within the last 12 months is Carrdus School in Banbury, owned by leading girls’ school Tudor Hall.

Carrdus School, a preparatory school near Banbury, officially closed in July 2025, following a decision in December 2024 to shut down at the end of the summer term.

This was due to financial instability, driven by the government’s decision to introduce VAT on fees and increased employers’ National Insurance contributions.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson reignites council row with new farm planning bid

Our Lady’s Abingdon (Image: Our Lady’s Abingdon)

Another private school in the county which has permanently shut its doors in the past year is Our Lady’s Abingdon, which had been operating for 160 years.

The governors at Our Lady’s Abingdon said: “A range of economic pressures has led to this outcome, mainly the introduction of VAT on school fees, higher National Insurance contributions, the ending of business rates relief for independent schools, and rising operational costs.”

Rendcomb College, near Cirencester across the border from Oxfordshire, announced this year that it will permanently close this summer.

This will bring an end to a 106‑year history of educating day pupils and boarders in the heart of the Cotswolds.

The independent day and boarding school opened in 1920 and has around 380 pupils on its roll.

READ MORE: Cotswolds private school to close down after over 100 years

Rendcomb College in the Cotswolds will shut down after 100 years teaching (Image: Saffron Blaze / Wikimedia Commons)

It said that current and projected pupil numbers, combined with the economic climate facing fee‑paying schools, mean it is no longer financially viable.

In a statement, governors said they had “reluctantly” agreed the college must close at the end of the 2025‑26 academic year, after exploring “every other feasible option”, including potential mergers, alternative owners and additional sources of funding.

“Despite Rendcomb College’s extremely strong track record as a school, the reality is that current and projected pupil numbers, alongside the economic situation facing independent schools across the country, do not make the school financially viable in the future,” read the statement.

“It has therefore reluctantly been decided that the school will close at the end of the academic year.

“The staff and governors have done everything to make Rendcomb College an excellent school, and its closure is highly unfortunate but sadly unavoidable.

READ MORE: Former Oxford University student ‘swung sledgehammer at police officer’

“For many years, the college has benefited from significant funding from the Rendcomb College Foundation.

“Whilst this has made the operation of the college possible until now, the enormous increase in the deficit for the current year, and the anticipated financial picture for next year, mean that such support is unsustainable.

“This is a very sad decision to have taken and follows the exploration of every other feasible option, including mergers and other forms of funding.

“Our focus now will be on helping pupils find appropriate alternative provision and assisting our highly professional and dedicated staff to find posts elsewhere.”

Mohammad Bashir, 31, pleaded not guilty on Friday to preparation of terrorist acts and three counts of disseminating terrorist publications on WhatsApp on dates in November and December 2024.

The first charges alleges he drove Jihad Al-Shamie to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, near Faringdon, last August 14 to carry out hostile reconnaissance of the location, weeks before the synagogue attack.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Mohammad Bashir appearing at the Old Bailey in London, where he is charged with terrorism offences for allegedly assisting Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie. (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)

He did so “with the intention of assisting Jihad Al-Shamie to commit acts of terrorism”, the charge states.

The assistance allegedly provided by Bashir was not in relation to the attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall last October 2.

READ MORE: Plumes of thick black smoke in sky and road closed due to fire

Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie attempted to storm a synagogue in Manchester on the holy day of Yom Kippur in October last year, driving his car at those gathering before attacking others with a knife.

Worshipper Melvin Cravitz, 66, was stabbed to death. Adrian Daulby, 53, who had been holding the main doors of the synagogue shut as Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired by a police officer.

Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.

Bashir was arrested at Manchester Airport on November 27.

He faces a four-week trial from July 6 at Manchester Crown Court before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

The defendant, of Shaftsbury Road in Manchester, was remanded into custody ahead of a pre-trial review at the Old Bailey on June 5.

Detective chief superintendent Lewis Hughes told an inquest last year that armed officers “discharged several rounds” at Al-Shamie as “he ran towards them aggressively while carrying a knife and wearing what clearly presented as a suicide belt”.

He added: “Al-Shamie sustained multiple bullet wounds and collapsed to the ground.”

Defence Academy in Shrivenham, near Faringdon (Image: Defence Academy/MOD)

Mr Hughes, senior identification manager, said the first shot was fired at Al-Shamie at 9.38am, but he was not pronounced dead until seven hours later because of concerns about potential explosives.

A Home Office post-mortem examination carried out the following day recorded the cause of his death as multiple gunshot wounds, Mr Hughes said.

Giving brief details of the circumstances to the coroner’s court, he said: “Al-Shamie is recorded on CCTV as driving a vehicle into a security guard and the external gate and wall at the synagogue entrance, and then subsequently attacking worshippers and security staff with a knife.

“Armed police attended the incident and discharged several rounds at the suspected terrorist.

“As a result of this incident, three people have lost their lives, which includes two victims and the suspected terrorist.

“Three other victims were very seriously injured, which consisted of a security guard struck by the vehicle, a worshipper completing security duties, outside, who was stabbed, and another worshipper, inside, who also sustained a gunshot injury.

“Whilst all received very serious injuries requiring extensive medical treatment, all are recovering and it is not anticipated that there will be any further loss of life arising from this incident.”

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the inpatient child and adolescent mental health wards at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust in November 2025.

All three of the wards, The Meadow and Highfield units at Warneford Hospital in Oxford and Marlborough House in Swindon received an unannounced inspection from the commission following ‘information of concern it had received’.

READ MORE: Bicester fire – smoke in sky and road closed due to fire

Warneford Hospital in Headington (Image: Damian Halliwell)

Inspectors found the service was in breach of four regulations relating to person-centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding and safe management of the service.

Following the inspection, CQC has changed the ratings for safe, responsive and well-led from good to requires improvement.

The ratings for caring and effective were rated good again. 

Serena Coleman, CQC deputy director of mental health in the south, said: “When we visited these CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) wards, we found a service where management hadn’t kept a firm enough oversight on some issues and young people in their care were feeling the impact of that.

“All of the young people we spoke with said they didn’t feel involved in decisions about their own care.

“Half of the care plans we reviewed were generic and didn’t reflect individual needs or wishes.

READ MORE: Oxford Cowley Road armed incident – police probe update

“We had serious concerns about how restraint was being used. Records didn’t always show that staff had tried other approaches first, and two young people reported negative experiences during restraint.

“Blanket restrictions were also in place across all three wards meaning every young person was subject to rules around accessing snacks, drinks and outdoor space, regardless of their individual circumstances or risk level.

“These are the kinds of restrictions that should only be applied to individuals, and when there’s a clear reason to do so.”

The Care Quality Commission inspected the wards (Image: Alamy/PA)

Inspectors found the service had given medication to four young people detained under the Mental Health Act without the correct treatment authorisation in place, and staff did not regularly remind young people detained under the act of their rights.

It was found that eight young people across two wards hadn’t had their rights repeated to them since admission, one of them for six months.

Ms Coleman added: “What makes these findings more concerning is that the trust’s own internal processes hadn’t identified many of them, risking that these concerns will go unaddressed.”

Despite the need for improvement, inspectors did find positives at the trust.

Ms Coleman said: “We also found staff worked well together across different disciplines, and we observed many warm and respectful interactions between staff and young people throughout our visit.

READ MORE: Update as Oxfordshire boy accused of having suicide vest

“Carers spoke positively about the service, and the support available for young people’s physical wellbeing including gym access, yoga, and weekly wellbeing clinics was good.

“At Marlborough House, staff had developed an innovative nature-based therapy programme in collaboration with a local wildlife trust.

“The trust knows where it needs to improve and we will monitor them to make sure young people are safe while this happens.”