The Unicorn School
20 Marcham Road, Abingdon, OX14 1AA
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Ages
- 6 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Ms Alison Woodworth-Sturla
- Constituency
- Oxford West and Abingdon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 123322
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01235530222
About this school
The Unicorn School is an independent special school in Abingdon. It teaches children aged 6 to 19 and has 148 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected The Unicorn School under its current framework. 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
The Unicorn School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1992, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 13 | 9 | 14 |
| Attainment 8 score | 13.5 | 16.0 | 10.5 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
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 The Unicorn 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 | 13.5 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 16 | 37.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 10.5 | 37.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 107 |
| 2023/24 | 117 |
| 2024/25 | 120 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 121
- Pupils on SEN support
- 27
Location
Nearby schools
-
Abingdon School0.4 miles
Independent schools · Abingdon
-
St Helen and St Katharine0.4 miles
Independent schools · Abingdon
-
The Manor Preparatory School0.6 miles
Independent schools · Abingdon
-
Kingfisher School1.3 miles
Academies · Abingdon
-
Cothill House2.2 miles
Independent schools · Abingdon
Other schools in Abingdon
- Kingfisher School Academies
- Appleton Church of England (A) Primary School Primary
- Caldecott Primary School Primary
- Carswell Community Primary School Primary
- Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Drayton Community Primary School Primary
- Dry Sandford Primary School Primary
- Dunmore Primary School Primary
- John Blandy Primary School Primary
- Long Furlong Primary School Primary
- Long Wittenham (Church of England) Primary School Primary
- Longworth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Unicorn School teach?
- The Unicorn School teaches children aged 6 to 19. It is a special school in Abingdon.
- Who is the headteacher of The Unicorn School?
- The headteacher of The Unicorn School is Ms Alison Woodworth-Sturla, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Unicorn School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected The Unicorn School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is The Unicorn School?
- The Unicorn School has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 6 to 19.
- Is The Unicorn School full?
- The Unicorn School has capacity for 240 pupils and 148 on roll (62%), so it has space against 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 The Unicorn School a faith school?
- No. The Unicorn School has no designated religious character.
- How have The Unicorn School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 13.5 in 2022/23 and 10.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are The Unicorn School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Unicorn 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 24 July 2026.