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thanks for the replies, yes that's the place - i suppose reform school is better than prison! any more information anyone has got would be great. Still can't understand what he was doing there when he was from London. Nice to hear they were allowed out to youth club, perhaps he wasn't a bad lad after all.

While some saw Turners Court(TC) as a reform school mostly that was the locals in the wallingford region
Originally set up as a training  farm/school for  problem boys  often many were given the choice of a detention center or learn a trade in the 70s many social workers had heard of the place and lads from childrens homes as well as court judgement lads went there. By the 70s the farm had expanded and was now a full training college. As well as farming it offered Paint & decorating, horticulture & gardening, catering,  bricklaying among other things.

At 27 your relative would have been too old to be a student there and most likely a trade instructor.

A book was fairly recently published by a former  resident there (it was residential)

Oxfordshire Colony: Turners Court Farm School, Wallingford, 1911-1991

I found this  notice board by chance  while looking into what become of the place . I was there in 1977 & 1978 doing catering.
F