School Chooser

Dagnall VA Church of England School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England53 pupilsNurseryBuckinghamshire
School Chooser Score
56
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 26 to 82, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2024
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families6%Far fewer than most schools
Places63 spare53 pupils, 116 places
Pupils per teacher10.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll53Census January 2026

Dagnall VA Church of England School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Dagnall for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 53 pupils and room for 116. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 56 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Main Road South, Berkhamsted, Dagnall, HP4 1QX01442 842473dagnall.bucks.sch.ukMrs Emma Fleet headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 January 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023BuckinghamshireEngland
Pupils tested495
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths22%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths11%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0107.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0105.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard56%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard33%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)56%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places46 pupils for 95 places, 2024/25
48% full

49 places were empty (52% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 16% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary15all offeredLA
2025 Primary15all offeredLA
2024 Primary1518all offeredLA
2023 Primaryall offeredLA
2022 Primaryall offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll53Census January 2026
Places11646% full
Pupils from low-income families6%6% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%11 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size13.34 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)11%£9,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls30 / 23
White British pupils74%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 17.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 12.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (4), Specific learning difficulty (4), language and communications needs (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Physical disability (1), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll534849575542
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals6%13%6%14%13%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%2%0%4%13%19%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support25%20%21%15%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.6%5.3%5.2%7.3%2.2%4.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%4.1%4.1%6.5%1.8%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.2%1.1%0.8%0.4%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.3%12.8%17.3%23.8%0.0%16.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.04.10.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.0full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher10.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,000
Teachers who left in the year38%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.52024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£11,361England £7,738. Total £545k
Income per pupil£11,625England £7,697. Total £558k
Spent on teachers per pupil£6,822England £3,480
Money in reserve39%A lot put by: £218k, £4,540 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£13kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£11,361spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people60% lower than the England average
Typical house price£455,000Buckinghamshire
Nearest bus stop230 mMain Road, 4 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.6 miles109No overall grade 202494Compare
Studham Village CofE AcademyAcademy1.7 miles87No overall grade 202473Compare
Edlesborough Primary AcademyAcademy2.4 miles224Good 202384Compare
Aldbury Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolChurch of England2.9 miles104Good 202348Compare
Kensworth Church of England AcademyAcademy3.0 miles90Report card 20261Compare
Totternhoe Church of England AcademyAcademy3.1 miles177Report card 20264Compare
Lark Rise AcademyAcademy3.1 miles351No overall grade 202597Compare
Eaton Bray AcademyAcademy3.1 miles188Not inspected5Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Dagnall VA Church of England School with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats64%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 56 is 10 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 46 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 56 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 56% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 26 to 82. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.11
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.14
2024/25; 38 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Dagnall VA Church of England School a good school?

It is about average. Dagnall VA Church of England School scores 56 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 26 to 82, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Dagnall VA Church of England School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Dagnall VA Church of England School good at its last full inspection on 24 January 2024.

How many pupils does Dagnall VA Church of England School have?

53 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 116 places, so it is 46% full.

Is Dagnall VA Church of England School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 49 places were empty in 2024/25 (52% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Dagnall VA Church of England School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Dagnall VA Church of England School?

The average class had 13.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Main Road South, Berkhamsted, Dagnall, HP4 1QX
Telephone
01442 842473
Website
www.dagnall.bucks.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Emma Fleet
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of St Albans
Local authority
Buckinghamshire
Ward
Ivinghoe
Constituency
Aylesbury
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2015 (change religious character)
URN
142323 · LAESTAB 8252022 · UKPRN 10080750
Formerly
Dagnall School

Where these figures come from