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Discover OX26Cherwell

Cherwell covers all 942 OX26 postcodes. Figures are for the council area, not for OX26 alone
Wards in OX26

Map of schools in Cherwell

The map needs JavaScript. The figures below do not.

Schools are coloured by their last Ofsted grade, or by results compared with England schools of the same type in the same year: reading, writing and maths at the end of primary school, and Attainment 8 at GCSE. Special, alternative provision, independent, nursery, 16 to 19 and all-through schools are not compared. Behind them, neighbourhoods are coloured by the education, skills and training measure of the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (England only). Sources: Department for Education, Ofsted, MHCLG. Open Government Licence v3.0. This map outlines Cherwell and its wards. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Schools and results

How schools here are spread and how pupils are doing. There are no league tables on this page.

Schools in the area
74
Oct 2026 · aggregated
Pupils on roll
24,283
2025/26 · aggregated
Graded schools rated Good or Outstanding
91.8%
as at 31 Aug 2026 · aggregated
0.6 percentage points higher than England
South East 91.9%England 91.2%
KS2 reading, writing and maths at expected standard
59.3%
2024/25 · aggregated
3.5 percentage points lower than England
South East 62.4%England 62.8%
KS4 Attainment 8 score
42.8
2024/25 · aggregated
6% lower than England
South East 45.1England 45.3
Schools opened in the last two years
0
Oct 2024 to Sep 2026 · aggregated
How do we know these figures?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Schools in the area
Open schools (excluding children's centres) with a postcode in the area.
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
Oct 2026Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Pupils on roll
Pupils on roll at schools in the area (January 2026 census where reported). Pupils may live elsewhere.
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2025/26Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Graded schools rated Good or Outstanding
Share of schools with a 1-4 Ofsted grade that are Outstanding or Good.
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
as at 31 Aug 2026Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
KS2 reading, writing and maths at expected standard
Pupil-weighted share of year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths (2024/25).
Department for Education (compare school performance)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
2024/25Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Pupil-weighted mean of school percentages (eligible pupils). From 51 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
KS4 Attainment 8 score
Cohort-weighted mean of school Attainment 8 scores (2024/25).
Department for Education (compare school performance)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
2024/25Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Cohort-weighted mean of school Attainment 8 scores. From 16 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Schools opened in the last two years
New schools (not academy conversions, relaunches or mergers) with an opening date Oct 2024 - Sep 2026.
Department for Education (GIAS)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Oct 2024 to Sep 2026Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, medium quality
Method: Schools in an area

Each open school is located by the postcode of its GIAS record, so it belongs to exactly one postcode district, ward, built-up area, constituency, council and so on. A school is counted where it is, not where its pupils live; pupils often cross boundaries. Children's centres are excluded. Phase and type are the GIAS labels grouped for display.

Method: Pupil-weighted school measures

FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.

Method: Change events

Events are dated records from public registers: company insolvency notices in The Gazette (loaded from July 2025, so the window is under 24 months), charity registrations and removals (Charity Commission register events), and school opening and closing dates (GIAS), where academy conversions, relaunches and mergers are labelled separately from genuine new schools and closures. They are located at the registered office, registered address or school premises, which is not necessarily where an organisation operates or where affected people live. Each council shows only its most recent events per type (cap per type); wards show all loaded events. The Gazette feed carries insolvency notices only, not planning, licensing or other notices. A notice is an event on the register, not a judgement about the organisation. No individuals' names are stored.

Latest Ofsted judgements

  • Outstanding7.8%
  • Good79.7%
  • Requires improvement7.8%
  • Not judged4.7%

This place England

Share of schools by latest overall judgement. Inspection frameworks have changed over time, so older and newer judgements are not like for like. as at 31 Aug 2026.

How do we know this?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Ofsted grades of schools
Latest overall Ofsted grade of schools in the area as at 31 Aug 2026 (distribution).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
as at 31 Aug 2026Cherwell (Council area)
Method: Pupil-weighted school measures

FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.

Schools by phase

  • Primary71.6%
  • Other or not recorded14.9%
  • Secondary12.2%
  • All-through1.4%

This place England

Share of schools. Oct 2026.

How do we know this?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Schools by phase
Open schools by phase of education (distribution).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
Oct 2026Cherwell (Council area)
Method: Schools in an area

Each open school is located by the postcode of its GIAS record, so it belongs to exactly one postcode district, ward, built-up area, constituency, council and so on. A school is counted where it is, not where its pupils live; pupils often cross boundaries. Children's centres are excluded. Phase and type are the GIAS labels grouped for display.

Schools by type

  • Academies50%
  • Local authority maintained29.7%
  • Free schools8.1%
  • Independent6.8%
  • Special schools (La)4.1%
  • Other types1.4%

This place England

Share of schools. Oct 2026.

How do we know this?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Schools by type
Open schools by establishment type group (distribution).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
Oct 2026Cherwell (Council area)
Method: Schools in an area

Each open school is located by the postcode of its GIAS record, so it belongs to exactly one postcode district, ward, built-up area, constituency, council and so on. A school is counted where it is, not where its pupils live; pupils often cross boundaries. Children's centres are excluded. Phase and type are the GIAS labels grouped for display.

Pupils and attendance

Pupils eligible for free school meals
15.9%
2025/26 · aggregated
8.9 percentage points lower than England
South East 19.1%England 24.8%
Pupils on SEN support
18.2%
2025/26 · aggregated
3.4 percentage points higher than England
South East 15.1%England 14.8%
Pupils with an EHC plan
6.5%
2025/26 · aggregated
0.5 percentage points higher than England
South East 6.1%England 6%
Overall absence rate
6.9%
2024/25 · aggregated
About the same as England
South East 6.8%England 6.7%
Persistent absence
17.9%
2024/25 · aggregated
About the same as England
South East 17.6%England 17.8%
How do we know these figures?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Pupils eligible for free school meals
Pupil-weighted share of pupils eligible for free school meals (2025/26).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2025/26Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 73 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Pupils on SEN support
Pupil-weighted share of pupils receiving SEN support (2025/26).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2025/26Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 73 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Pupils with an EHC plan
Pupil-weighted share of pupils with an education, health and care plan (2025/26).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2025/26Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 73 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Overall absence rate
Pupil-weighted share of sessions missed for any reason (2024/25).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2024/25Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Pupil-weighted mean of school rates. From 66 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Persistent absence
Pupil-weighted share of pupils missing 10% or more of sessions (2024/25).
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
2024/25Cherwell (Council area)aggregated, high quality
Pupil-weighted mean of school rates. From 62 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Method: Pupil-weighted school measures

FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.

Pupil characteristics describe who attends local schools, not how good the schools are. Absence and special educational needs rates differ for many reasons beyond the school.

Adult qualifications

What residents have studied, from the census.

Adults with no qualifications
16%
2021
2 percentage points lower than England
England 18%
Adults with a degree-level qualification or above
35.1%
2021
1.1 percentage points higher than England
England 34%
How do we know these figures?
FigureSourcePeriodGeographyMethod and limits
Adults with no qualifications
Share of usual residents aged 16 and over with no qualifications (Census 2021).
Office for National Statistics
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
2021Cherwell (Council area)direct, high quality
Adults with a degree-level qualification or above
Share of usual residents aged 16 and over whose highest qualification is Level 4 (degree level) or above (Census 2021).
Office for National Statistics
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
2021Cherwell (Council area)direct, high quality
Method: Census 2021 housing, health and qualifications for Wales

Wales held its census on the same day as England (21 March 2021) with the same questions, so the figures are directly comparable. For Wales we use the published local authority tables. Tenure counts shared ownership with owners; "private rented" includes people who live rent free, as in the England figures. Overcrowding is an occupancy rating of -1 or less for bedrooms. Qualifications are for people aged 16 and over; "no qualifications" and "Level 4 or above" (degree level and above) are shares of all those people. Counts are rounded by random adjustment, so tiny differences from other tables are expected. Wales households per local authority are not split to small areas here.

Highest qualification of people aged 16 and over, Census 2021 (21 March 2021). Level 4 is degree level and above. Older adults are less likely to hold formal qualifications, so areas with more older residents show higher shares with none.

Local schools (73)

Listed alphabetically. Each links to its own page, with its Ofsted record, results and governors.

SchoolPhaseTypePupils
Bardwell SchoolNot applicableAcademy special converter121
Bishop Carpenter Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter98
Bishop Loveday Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter425
Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth FormSecondaryAcademy converter943
Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary aided school77
Bloxham Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school320
Bloxham Grove AcademyNot applicableFree schools special102
Bloxham SchoolNot applicableOther independent school583
Brookside Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school306
Bruern Abbey SchoolNot applicableOther independent school214
Bure Park Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school402
Charlton-On-Otmoor Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school72
Cherry Fields Primary SchoolPrimaryFree schools201
Chesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary aided school201
Christopher Rawlins Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter260
Cropredy Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy sponsor led196
Dashwood Banbury AcademyPrimaryAcademy sponsor led456
Deddington Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter212
Dr Radcliffe's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter194
Dr South's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter97
Edward Feild Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter293
Finmere Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter45
Five Acres Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school315
Frank Wise SchoolNot applicableCommunity special school119
Fringford Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school82
Fritwell Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter154
Futures Institute BanburySecondaryStudio schools116
Gagle Brook Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy sponsor led183
Glory Farm Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter331
Gosford Hill SchoolSecondaryAcademy converter825
Graven Hill Primary SchoolPrimaryFree schools147
Hanwell Fields Community SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter454
Hardwick Primary School and NurseryPrimaryAcademy converter249
Harriers Banbury AcademyPrimaryAcademy converter408
Heyford Park SchoolAll-throughFree schools700
Hill View Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter495
Hook Norton Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school271
Hornton Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter109
King's Meadow Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school443
Kirtlington Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary aided school102
Lvs OxfordNot applicableOther independent special school77
Langford Village Community Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school413
Launton Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school136
Longfields Primary and Nursery SchoolPrimaryCommunity school354
Longford Park Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy sponsor led314
North Kidlington Primary SchoolPrimaryCommunity school268
North Oxfordshire AcademySecondaryAcademy sponsor led1,004
Orchard Fields Community SchoolPrimaryCommunity school415
Queensway SchoolPrimaryCommunity school398
Shenington Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary aided school84
Sibford Gower Endowed Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter93
Sibford SchoolNot applicableOther independent school382
Southwold Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy converter315
St Edburg's Church of England (Va) SchoolPrimaryVoluntary aided school598
St John's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimaryAcademy sponsor led216
St John's Priory SchoolNot applicableOther independent school55
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, BanburyPrimaryAcademy converter197
St Leonard's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimaryVoluntary controlled school336
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, BicesterPrimaryAcademy converter217
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BanburyPrimaryAcademy converter226

Showing the first 60 of 73. Near Me lists schools by distance.

Sources used on this page

4

Registered offices are not operating locations. Ranks and deciles are never averaged. Census 2021 figures are labelled 2021.