Furze Down School
Verney Road, Winslow, Buckingham, MK18 3BL
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Rooney
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 220
- Pupils on roll
- 223
- URN
- 110585
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01296711380
About this school
Furze Down School is a community special school in Buckingham. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 223 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 21 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 15 | 6 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -7.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -8.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -9.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 20 | 24 | 22 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -1.87 -2.52 to -1.21 | -1.50 -2.08 to -0.92 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 4.2% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Furze Down School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 59.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1.5 | 47.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 1.8 | 49.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 1.9 | 46.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 13.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 193 |
| 2023/24 | 210 |
| 2024/25 | 219 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.22%
- English as an additional language
- 3.7%
- Overall absence
- 13.53%
- Persistent absence
- 34.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Swanbourne House School2.3 miles
Independent schools · Milton Keynes
-
Thornton College5.3 miles
Independent schools · Milton Keynes
-
University of Buckingham5.6 miles
Universities · Buckingham
-
Oakhill Secure Training Centre6.0 miles
Other types · Milton Keynes
-
The Woodlands School6.2 miles
Special schools · Milton Keynes
Other schools in Buckingham
- Bourton Meadow Academy Primary
- Buckingham Primary School Primary
- Finmere Church of England Primary School Primary
- George Grenville Academy Primary
- Lace Hill Academy Primary
- North Marston Church of England School Primary
- Padbury Church of England School Primary
- Roundwood Primary School Primary
- St James and St John CofE Primary School Primary
- Steeple Claydon School and Pre-School Primary
- Thornborough Infant School Primary
- Twyford C of E School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Furze Down School teach?
- Furze Down School teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is a special school in Buckingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Furze Down School?
- The headteacher of Furze Down School is Mrs Alison Rooney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Furze Down School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Furze Down School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Furze Down School?
- Furze Down School has 223 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Furze Down School full?
- Furze Down School has capacity for 220 pupils and 223 on roll (101%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Furze Down School a faith school?
- No. Furze Down School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Furze Down School have?
- The schools register lists Furze Down School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Furze Down School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Furze Down School's absence rate?
- Furze Down School's overall absence rate is 13.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Furze Down School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Furze Down School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.