OXFORDSHIRE primary schools are being urged to get their thinking caps on to be in with a chance of winning a £7,500 makeover.

For the fourth year running, the Oxford Mail is joining forces with Abingdon construction company Leadbitter to offer one lucky primary school thousands of pounds in improvements.

So far, four schools have benefited from the competition, getting revamps to swimming pool changing rooms, wild gardens, sensory gardens and outdoor classrooms.

Cliff Thomas, regional director of Leadbitter, said: “It’s lovely to see how inventive some of the children are in the designs.

“They often have quite a clear image of what they want.”

He said the company, which carries out building projects in the education sector, was keen to give something back by working with local schools and the wider community.

Last year’s winner, St Christopher’s Primary School in Cowley, now has a new outdoor classroom area complete with story-telling trail and fairy bridge.

In 2010, the school which captured the public’s imagination was Kingfisher School, which revamped its sensory garden.

The first winner of the Save Our Schools competition in 2009 was North Kidlington Primary School, which received a bird hide for its wild garden.

After the school was shortlisted as a finalist, pupils, staff and supporters collected more than 19,300 vouchers to be declared the winners.

Headteacher Ann Battersby said: “Pupils love the bird hide and now they spend a lot of time in the fresh air.

“The hide is a hive of activity for outdoor learning.”

Oxford Mail deputy editor Sara Taylor said: “This has proved an extremely popular competition and with education budgets getting tighter and tighter, now is a better time than ever for schools to apply for much-needed improvements.

“We are keen to see projects which will really benefit the children, and even the wider community, and those where youngsters have really got involved in the design process.”

Schools have until Thursday, June 14, to enter the competition.

Entries, which must be sent to the Oxford Mail, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ, should explain the project in no less than 300 words, detailing how it would be sustainable and what benefits it would bring. Schemes must not need planning permission or major structural change. Drawings, photographs and statements can be used to back up the application.

Ten finalists will be chosen from among the entries by a panel of judges from the Oxford Mail and Leadbitter.

Each of the chosen projects will be featured in the newspaper, with special vouchers printed alongside them.

Then it will be down to schools to collect as many tokens as possible, which will be mathematically weighted according to the size of the school to give all competitors a fair chance. The winners will be announced in July.