St Swithun's CofE Primary School
Grundy Crescent, Kennington, Oxford, OX1 5PS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Caroline Knighton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oxford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Oxford West and Abingdon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 427
- Pupils on roll
- 420
- URN
- 123177
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01865415105
About this school
St Swithun's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Oxford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 420 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Swithun's CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 57 | 61 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 57% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 16% | 11% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 67% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 69% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 70% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 104.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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.
Trends over time
How St Swithun's CofE Primary 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 | Oxfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 58.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 413 |
| 2023/24 | 421 |
| 2024/25 | 427 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Swithun's CofE Primary School compares
St Swithun's CofE Primary School ranked 53rd of 228 primary schools in Oxfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 4.7% | 12.4% | 420 | — |
| Rose Hill Primary School | 34% | 7.1% | 46.8% | 268 | 1.0 miles |
| John Henry Newman Academy | 69% | 6.2% | 37.8% | 392 | 1.1 miles |
| Radley Church of England Primary School | 75% | 4.5% | 9.7% | 179 | 1.6 miles |
| St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore | 65% | 6.2% | 24.9% | 242 | 1.7 miles |
| New Hinksey Church of England Primary School | 48% | 4.6% | 20.4% | 85 | 1.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.44%
- English as an additional language
- 16.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.65%
- Persistent absence
- 12.24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rose Hill Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
John Henry Newman Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
Radley Church of England Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Abingdon
-
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore1.7 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
New Hinksey Church of England Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Oxford
Other schools in Oxford
St Swithun's CofE Primary School ranks 8th of the 46 ranked primary schools in Oxford.
- Barton Park Primary School Primary
- Bayards Hill School Primary
- Beckley Church of England Primary School Primary
- Botley School Primary
- Chalgrove Community Primary School Primary
- Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled) Primary
- Cutteslowe Primary School Primary
- East Oxford Primary School Primary
- Garsington Church of England Primary School Primary
- Great Milton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Horspath Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Swithun's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Swithun's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Oxford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Swithun's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Swithun's CofE Primary School is Mrs Caroline Knighton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Swithun's CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Swithun's CofE Primary 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 many pupils are at St Swithun's CofE Primary School?
- St Swithun's CofE Primary School has 420 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Swithun's CofE Primary School full?
- St Swithun's CofE Primary School has capacity for 427 pupils and 420 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Swithun's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Swithun's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Oxford.
- Does St Swithun's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Swithun's CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Swithun's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Swithun's CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Oxfordshire?
- St Swithun's CofE Primary School ranked 53rd of 228 primary schools in Oxfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Swithun's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Swithun's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Swithun's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Swithun's CofE Primary 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 30 June 2026.