With the clsoure of the College scheduled for 1979, the Governors were left with the task of didposing of the College buildings. After enquiries from a number of interested parties, the site was acquired by the British government as the venue for the first European School in the U.K.
The development of the JET (Joint European Torus) Project at the nearby Culham Laboratory made the College buildings an ideal venue, and the fact that they had already been used for educational purposes made them easily adaptable.
The European School was established in 1978 and for the first twelve months shared the site with the closing College.