Work underway to refurbish Oxford’s Cuddesdon Corner Family Centre
Families are to benefit from a £900,000 refurbishment of Oxford’s Cuddesdon Corner Family Centre, with work now underway.
The project is jointly funded by Oxfordshire County Council and the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency. Construction is being led by contractor ODS with completion aimed for summer 2024.
The project will extend and reconfigure the building to provide dual occupancy for the council’s family solutions service and the Oxfordshire Hospital School.
Family solutions will use the space to provide key support for local families, including a play and learn space and supervised contact rooms. The Oxfordshire Hospital School will base their business support team on site, as well as using the facility to offer virtual teaching to children as part of its outreach work.
Councillor John Howson, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, said: “Cuddesdon Corner Family Centre will become an even more prominent focal point for families of children receiving support from Oxfordshire County Council, as well an important hub for the Oxfordshire Hospital School.
“Through spacious play and learn space and supervised contact rooms, we will provide first class, safe environments for children, young people and their families.”
ODS will be adding three single-storey brick extensions that will provide activity and conference space, and room for a disability platform lift to access the first floor. The existing building and extensions will receive new double-glazed aluminium windows and a complete upgrade will be carried out to mechanical and electrical systems, with the installation of new air source heat pumps. Other refurbishments include a new staff kitchen.
The building has been vacant since the pandemic when the family solutions team moved to alternative accommodation. Oxfordshire Hospital School has been using a temporary base provided by St Nicolas Primary School in Marston in Oxford. The Oxfordshire Hospital School was displaced from its previous accommodation to provide the Department for Education with a vacant possession to build The Swan School and rebuild Meadowbrook College.
Mitch Carter, Associate Director of Construction, from ODS, said: “We are thrilled to be undertaking the refurbishment of Cuddesdon Corner Family Centre, which will have a profound impact on the families across Oxfordshire ensuring they have access to vital resources. Together, we are building a brighter future for our communities.”
Notes to editor
Further information on the family solutions service
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