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The Cherwell School

Marston Ferry Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 7EE ·

Ofsted:Outstanding· 2022
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At a glance

A state secondary academy for ages 11–18 in Oxford. Rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection (October 2022). GCSE results are well above the England average (Attainment 8: 58.3 vs 46.1, 2024/25). Oversubscribed: 396 families put it first for 243 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages
11–18
Pupils
2,023
Gender
Mixed
Sixth form
Yes
Admissions
Non-selective
Local authority
Oxfordshire
Academy trust
RIVER LEARNING TRUST
Headteacher
Mr Chris Price
Opened
Apr 2012

Inspection

Ofsted (framework in use until November 2025)

Read reports
Graded inspection 19 Oct 2022
OutstandingOverall effectiveness
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form
Outstanding

Safeguarding effective: Yes

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 269 pupils

Attainment 8
58.3
England 46.1
Grade 5+ Eng & maths
66.2%
England 45.4%
Grade 4+ Eng & maths
79.2%
England 64.8%
Progress 8
+0.88
2023/24 · CI 0.71 to 1.06
This school
58.3
Oxfordshire
46.4
England
46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

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Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made
243
1st preferences
396
All applications
965
1st prefs per place
1.63
More first choices than places

242 of 396 first-preference applicants were offered a place (61%). 1 offers went to families living in another council area.

Oversubscribed with first preferences

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils
2,008
Capacity
1,850
109% full
Girls / boys
48/52
Mixed
  • Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)18.6%
  • English as an additional language25.9%
  • SEN support13.6%
  • Education, Health and Care plan3.6%
  • The black tick shows the median for state-funded secondary schools in England.
The Cherwell School, Oxford · SchoolPatch