School Chooser

Launton Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England136 pupilsNurseryBicesterOxfordshire
School Chooser Score
44
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 20 to 72, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1175%England 63%
Attendance96.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Places28 spare136 pupils, 164 places
Pupils per teacher18.9School workforce census

Launton Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Bicester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 136 pupils and room for 164. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 44 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Bicester Road, Launton, Bicester, OX26 5DP01869 253692launtonschool.co.ukMs Jill Walker headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 20 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 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 1175%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level17%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 74%74%20172018: 56%56%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 71%71%20242025: 75%75%2025
Since 2017: +1%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017OxfordshireEngland
Pupils tested12247161619
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths75%71%57%63%56%74%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths17%13%0%6%6%11%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0107.0106.0102.0106.0105.0106.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0107.0104.0102.0103.0105.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0104.0103.0102.0104.0107.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard92%83%100%69%75%84%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard92%83%71%75%56%89%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%83%86%88%88%89%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.2-2.7+0.2+0.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.6-3.2-1.6+0.2

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 places123 pupils for 157 places, 2024/25
78% full

34 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% 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 (13 offers for 20 places). 13 families put it down as their first choice and 13 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary20134513100%all offeredLA
2025 Primary20124014100%all offeredLA
2024 Primary20123913100%all offeredLA
2023 Primary20246924100%1.9 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA

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 roll136Census January 2026
Places16483% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.76 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)6%£10,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls69 / 67
White British pupils79%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 20.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Other difficulty or disability (4), emotional and mental health (4), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll136135150161158158
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%7%7%6%3%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%5%3%1%3%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%10%9%6%5%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%4%3%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.7%3.9%3.7%5.2%3.2%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.2%3.5%4.9%2.3%3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.7%0.3%0.3%0.9%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.7%8.5%6.0%8.6%7.4%9.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.70.05.60.60.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers7.2full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher18.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,760
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.92024/25

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£7,662England £7,738. Total £1.0m
Income per pupil£8,026England £7,697. Total £1.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,990England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £75k, £561 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£48kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,662spent 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 m3712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate47 per 1,000 people48% lower than the England average
Typical house price£355,000Cherwell
Nearest bus stop120 mPost Office, 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
Langford Village Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles413Good 202310Compare
Glory Farm Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles331Good 202333Compare
Longfields Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.1 miles354Good 202210Compare
Southwold Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles315Not inspected35Compare
Brookside Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles306No overall grade 202539Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, BicesterAcademy1.6 miles217Good 202362Compare
Graven Hill Primary SchoolFree school1.6 miles147Not inspectedCompare
Bure Park Primary SchoolCouncil1.7 miles402Good 202266Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Launton Church of England Primary 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.

Beats10%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 44 is 32 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 21 · middle 76 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Launton Church of England Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ickford SchoolAcademy10.0 miles138Report card 2026100Compare
Horspath Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy11.2 miles141Not inspected58Compare
Freeland Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy13.5 miles131Good 202286Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 44 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 44% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 20 to 72. 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%above
+0.17
2025 and 2024 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.57
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.13
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.03
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 117 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 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 Launton Church of England Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Launton Church of England Primary School scores 44 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 20 to 72, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Launton Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Launton Church of England Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 20 February 2024.

How good are Launton Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 75% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 17% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Launton Church of England Primary School have?

136 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 164 places, so it is 83% full.

Is Launton Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 34 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Launton Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Launton Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 22.7 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
Bicester Road, Launton, Bicester, OX26 5DP
Telephone
01869 253692
Website
www.launtonschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Ms Jill Walker
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Oxford
Local authority
Oxfordshire
Ward
Launton and Otmoor
Constituency
Bicester and Woodstock
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
123103 · LAESTAB 9313085 · UKPRN 10077928

Where these figures come from