St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley
Temple Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2HB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- OXFORD DIOCESAN SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Katie Screaton
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oxford
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Oxford
- Constituency
- Oxford East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 314
- URN
- 140556
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01865779772
About this school
St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley is a Church of England primary academy in Oxford. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 314 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 43 | 46 | 38 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 35% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 70% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 49% | 48% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 46% | 61% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 | 98.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.00 | - | - |
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.
Trends over time
How St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley 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 | 42% | 58.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 35% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 370 |
| 2023/24 | 349 |
| 2024/25 | 316 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley compares
St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley ranked 171st of 228 primary schools in Oxfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 5.7% | 31.9% | 314 | — |
| Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School | 81% | 4.8% | 9.9% | 318 | 0.2 miles |
| Tyndale Community School | 59% | 5.6% | 24.6% | 280 | 0.3 miles |
| St Francis Church of England Primary School | 55% | 6.5% | 21.4% | 211 | 0.5 miles |
| Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School | 59% | 7.7% | 30.2% | 459 | 0.6 miles |
| St Frideswide Church of England Primary School | 33% | 7.8% | 28.7% | 330 | 0.6 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)
- 31.93%
- English as an additional language
- 54.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.67%
- Persistent absence
- 16.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
Tyndale Community School0.3 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
St Francis Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Oxford
-
St Frideswide Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Oxford
Other schools in Oxford
St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley ranks 41st 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 year groups does St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley teach?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Oxford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley?
- The headteacher of St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley is Ms Katie Screaton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley, 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 St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley has 314 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley full?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley has capacity for 420 pupils and 314 on roll (75%), 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 St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley a faith school?
- Yes. St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Oxford.
- Does St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley is part of OXFORD DIOCESAN SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 42% in 2022/23 and 53% 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 Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley rank locally?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley ranked 171st of 228 primary schools in Oxfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% 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 Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley's absence rate?
- St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley'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 1 July 2026.