School Chooser

Hanwell Fields Community School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy454 pupilsNurseryBanburyOxfordshire
School Chooser Score
30
Below
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 49, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, January 2025
Reached the expected level at 1148%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull454 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census

Hanwell Fields Community School is a converter academy in Banbury for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 454 pupils, 34 more than it has places for. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 30 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Rotary Way, Banbury, OX16 1ER01295 709583hanwellfieldscommunityschool.org.ukMr Alex Pearson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 January 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1148%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 53%53%20172018: 56%56%20182019: 60%60%20192023: 42%42%20232024: 59%59%20242025: 48%48%2025
Since 2017: -5%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017OxfordshireEngland
Pupils tested605459434840
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths48%59%42%60%56%53%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%6%7%14%6%5%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0102.0104.0104.0101.0106.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0102.0100.0106.0101.0102.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0100.099.0107.0104.0104.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard65%69%54%67%75%63%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%70%64%81%60%68%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)65%69%69%86%85%80%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.2-2.8-3.1-2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.2-1.5-5.0-1.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged32%47%25%22%54%33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged56%64%49%71%57%64%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
32%56%
Gap 24 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
38%58%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
53%48%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full411 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
98% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 1.0 miles away in 2026, 0.8 miles away in 2025, 0.9 miles away in 2024. Those cut-offs are for children living outside the catchment area; every child inside it got a place. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups are placed first. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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 in the catchment area who applied got a place. Outside the catchment, the last place went to a child living 1.0 miles away. 66 families put it down as their first choice and 58 of them got in (88%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary60661416088%1.0 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2025 Primary60661526086%0.8 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2024 Primary60691466087%0.9 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2023 Primary60641376091%1.3 milesLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 0.9 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 0.9 miles of the school£281,000half sold for £237k to £347k
Homes sold403December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-21%a typical home in the district sells for £355,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll454Census January 2026
Places420108% full
Pupils from low-income families15%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English19%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%96 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.611 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)16%£100,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls244 / 210
White British pupils69%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (58), language and communications needs (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (12), emotional and mental health (9), Moderate learning difficulty (6), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll454456458451457459
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%15%17%20%18%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language19%18%16%15%14%14%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support20%13%15%13%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%2%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.7%4.7%5.0%6.9%3.1%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.7%4.0%5.9%2.5%2.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.0%1.0%1.0%0.6%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.9%10.5%12.6%19.7%6.4%5.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.65.05.14.64.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers22.8full-time equivalent, 26 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants24.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,570
Teachers who left in the year10%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.42024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,334England £7,128. Total £3.3m
Income per pupil£7,423England £7,587. Total £3.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,485England £3,405
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £404k, £894 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£40kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,334spent 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 m14912 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate46 per 1,000 people49% lower than the England average
Typical house price£355,000Cherwell
Nearest bus stop420 mLapsley Drive, 6 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
Hardwick Primary School and NurseryAcademy820 m249No overall grade 202448Compare
Cherry Fields Primary SchoolFree school0.7 miles201Outstanding 2022100Compare
Hill View Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles495Good 202217Compare
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BanburyAcademy1.0 miles226Good 202234Compare
William Morris Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles240Not inspected47Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, BanburyAcademy1.3 miles197No overall grade 202529Compare
Orchard Fields Community SchoolCouncil1.4 miles415Not inspected82Compare
St Leonard's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.5 miles336Report card 20269Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Hanwell Fields Community School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats19%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 30 is 26 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 7 · middle 56 · highest 96100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 30 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 30% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 49. 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 years25%below
-0.14
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.12
Ofsted grade, 1.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.10
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 363 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.18
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 pupils
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 Hanwell Fields Community School a good school?

The figures are weak. Hanwell Fields Community School scores 30 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 19% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 49, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Hanwell Fields Community School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Hanwell Fields Community School not judged at its last full inspection on 14 January 2025.

How good are Hanwell Fields Community School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 48% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Hanwell Fields Community School have?

454 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 108% full.

Is Hanwell Fields Community School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 1.0 miles away. 66 families put it down as their first choice and 58 of them got in. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Hanwell Fields Community School?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Hanwell Fields Community School?

The average class had 29.6 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
Rotary Way, Banbury, OX16 1ER
Telephone
01295 709583
Website
www.hanwellfieldscommunityschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Alex Pearson
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
United Learning Trust (98 schools)
Local authority
Oxfordshire
Ward
Banbury Hardwick
Constituency
Banbury
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2012 (academy converter)
URN
137910 · LAESTAB 9313837 · UKPRN 10036758
Formerly
Hanwell Fields Community School

Where these figures come from