Padbury Church of England School
Main Road, Padbury, Buckingham, MK18 2AP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lucy McFarlane
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oxford
- Sponsor
- Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 104
- URN
- 145216
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01280813070
About this school
Padbury Church of England School is a Church of England primary academy in Buckingham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 104 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Padbury Church of England School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
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 | 13 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 93% | 77% | 94% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 0% | 25% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 92% | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 85% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 92% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 113.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 108.0 | 112.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.30 | - | - |
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 Padbury Church of England 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 | 93% | 59.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 94% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 101 |
| 2023/24 | 102 |
| 2024/25 | 106 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Padbury Church of England School compares
Padbury Church of England School ranked 3rd of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 94% | 3% | 9.4% | 104 | — |
| Lace Hill Academy | 76% | 4.8% | 17.4% | 218 | 1.5 miles |
| Bourton Meadow Academy | 66% | 4.6% | 11.9% | 571 | 2.1 miles |
| Thornborough Infant School | — | 3.9% | 0% | 31 | 2.3 miles |
| George Grenville Academy | 40% | 6.4% | 40.3% | 186 | 2.4 miles |
| Steeple Claydon School and Pre-School | 62% | 5.4% | 22.2% | 217 | 2.5 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.43%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.04%
- Persistent absence
- 2.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lace Hill Academy1.5 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
Bourton Meadow Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
Thornborough Infant School2.3 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
George Grenville Academy2.4 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
Steeple Claydon School and Pre-School2.5 miles
Primary · Buckingham
Other schools in Buckingham
Padbury Church of England School ranks 1st of the 12 ranked primary 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
- 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
- Winslow Church of England School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Padbury Church of England School teach?
- Padbury Church of England School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Buckingham.
- Who is the headteacher of Padbury Church of England School?
- The headteacher of Padbury Church of England School is Mrs Lucy McFarlane, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Padbury Church of England School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Padbury Church of England 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 Padbury Church of England School?
- Padbury Church of England School has 104 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Padbury Church of England School full?
- Padbury Church of England School has capacity for 105 pupils and 104 on roll (99%), 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 Padbury Church of England School a faith school?
- Yes. Padbury Church of England School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Oxford.
- Does Padbury Church of England School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Padbury Church of England School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Padbury Church of England School part of an academy trust?
- Padbury Church of England School is part of OXFORD DIOCESAN BUCKS SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Padbury Church of England School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 93% in 2022/23 and 94% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Padbury Church of England School compare with other schools in Buckinghamshire?
- Padbury Church of England School ranked 3rd of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Padbury Church of England School's absence rate?
- Padbury Church of England School's overall absence rate is 3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Padbury Church of England School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Padbury Church of England 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 15 July 2026.