From the 1870s, the newly established St Matthew's parish had a complex history of different schools’ sites and movement of pupils between them.

Barnwell boys’ school was occupied by the army in the First World War but restored to use afterwards.

Under the Education Act 1944 St George's became East Road secondary modern school.

The site has now been extensively redeveloped, with much of the surrounding terraced housing being demolished (along Norfolk Street, Caroline Place, and Broad Street), and Schoolhouse Lane being incorporated into the school site.

[5] During construction, a number of skeletal remains were discovered, and subsequently excavated by Oxford Archaeology East, from what had been the cemetery of a Baptist chapel.