The Oxford Academy
Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, Oxford, OX4 6JZ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- RIVER LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nora Ward
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oxford
- Sponsor
- River Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Oxford East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,400
- Pupils on roll
- 1,062
- URN
- 148354
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01865774311
About this school
The Oxford Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in Oxford. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 1,062 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Oxford Academy, 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
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
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Post-16 provision
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 198 | 209 | 200 |
| Attainment 8 score | 32.6 | 33.0 | 33.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.87 -1.07 to -0.66 | -0.72 -0.92 to -0.53 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 27% | 25.4% | 21% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 44.5% | 41.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 14% | 9.6% | 7.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
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 Oxford Academy 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 | 32.6 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 33 | 37.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 33.6 | 37.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 16.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 16.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 13.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,154 |
| 2023/24 | 1,159 |
| 2024/25 | 1,113 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Oxford Academy compares
The Oxford Academy ranked 39th of 41 secondary schools in Oxfordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 33.6 | 13.7% | 52.7% | 1,062 | — |
| Greyfriars Catholic School | 34 | 9.7% | 31.4% | 669 | 1.1 miles |
| Oxford Spires Academy | 46.3 | 10.2% | 28.1% | 1,351 | 1.4 miles |
| Cheney School | 46 | 10.8% | 27% | 1,706 | 2.1 miles |
| The Swan School | 55.4 | 7.2% | 21.8% | 1,057 | 3.6 miles |
| Matthew Arnold School | 56.5 | 9.2% | 12.7% | 1,255 | 3.9 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
-
Graded inspection report10 March 2026
- 18 October 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 52.71%
- English as an additional language
- 28.3%
- Overall absence
- 13.72%
- Persistent absence
- 36.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Greyfriars Catholic School1.1 miles
Secondary · Oxford
-
Oxford Spires Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Oxford
-
Cheney School2.1 miles
Secondary · Oxford
-
The Swan School3.6 miles
Secondary · Oxford
-
Matthew Arnold School3.9 miles
Secondary · Oxford
Other schools in Oxford
The Oxford Academy ranks 8th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Oxford.
- Cheney School Secondary
- Greyfriars Catholic School Secondary
- Matthew Arnold School Secondary
- Oxford Spires Academy Secondary
- The Cherwell School Secondary
- The Swan School Secondary
- Wheatley Park School Secondary
- Comper Nursery School Nursery
- Grandpont Nursery School Nursery
- Headington Quarry Nursery School Nursery
- Slade Nursery School Nursery
- Wheatley Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What ages does The Oxford Academy teach?
- The Oxford Academy teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in Oxford.
- Who is the headteacher of The Oxford Academy?
- The headteacher of The Oxford Academy is Mrs Nora Ward, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Oxford Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Oxford Academy, 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 The Oxford Academy?
- The Oxford Academy has 1,062 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is The Oxford Academy full?
- The Oxford Academy has capacity for 1,400 pupils and 1,062 on roll (76%), 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 Oxford Academy a faith school?
- Yes. The Oxford Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Oxford.
- Is The Oxford Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Oxford Academy is part of RIVER LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Oxford Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 32.6 in 2022/23 and 33.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Oxford Academy compare with other schools in Oxfordshire?
- The Oxford Academy ranked 39th of 41 secondary schools in Oxfordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Oxford Academy's absence rate?
- The Oxford Academy's overall absence rate is 13.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Oxford Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Oxford Academy'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.