SCHOOL PROFILE

Bardwell School

Not applicable Academy special converter URN 146683
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 95 Published school capacity
Capacity used 127.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

24 March 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Attendance & behaviour Strong standard
Personal development Strong standard
Leadership & governance Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

2 November 2023
Ungraded inspection School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 7 December 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy special converter
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Oxfordshire
Trust THE GALLERY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 121 121 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 37 30.6% of pupils
Male pupils 84 69.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

37.2%
12.4 pts above England
School 37.2%
Cherwell 15.9%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

12.4%
7.9 pts below England
School 12.4%
Cherwell 20.0%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Cherwell 0.9%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
60.3%
73
Any other White background
9.9%
12
Unclassified
4.1%
5
African
3.3%
4
Any other Black background
3.3%
4
Indian
3.3%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 121 of 121 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Cherwell 24.7%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 121 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 60
Severe learning difficulty 17
Speech, language & communication 12
Other difficulty or disability 6
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 6
Specific learning difficulty 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2023/24.

2023/24
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 59.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Cherwell 60.2%
South East 58.8%
England 59.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.64%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.42 pts higher than England
School 8.64%
Cherwell 6.02%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

27.47%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

11.66 pts higher than England
School 27.47%
Cherwell 14.72%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.20%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.39 pts higher than England
School 2.20%
Cherwell 1.81%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

127.4% 47.6 pts above England
Bardwell School
127.4%
Cherwell
79.7%
South East
79.9%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information