School Chooser

New Marston Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy256 pupilsNurseryOxfordOxfordshire
School Chooser Score
57
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 35 to 77
Out of 100. Better than 48% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2019
Reached the expected level at 1168%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places74 spare256 pupils, 330 places
Pupils per teacher21.3School workforce census

New Marston Primary School is a sponsored academy in Oxford for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 256 pupils and room for 330. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 57 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 48% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2019.

New Marston Primary School, Copse Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0AY01865 761560nmps.org.ukMr Bruce Wilson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 October 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A later, shorter visit on 5 March 2025 said: “Standards maintained”.

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

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
5 March 2025UngradedStandards maintained

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1168%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level9%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 29%29%20172018: 74%74%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 78%78%20242025: 68%68%2025
Since 2017: +39%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017†OxfordshireEngland
Pupils tested442753513849
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths68%78%57%71%74%29%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths9%11%4%12%5%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0107.0102.0105.0106.099.0106.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0105.0103.0108.0108.0101.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0105.0104.0107.0107.0102.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard70%85%60%76%82%49%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard75%85%72%84%82%57%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%78%81%80%76%31%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.3+2.8+2.3-1.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.1+4.7+5.5-0.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged56%38%69%38%24%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged71%63%71%92%31%

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.

† These results are for New Marston Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 3 of the 4 gaps are 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
56%71%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
58%83%
Gap 25 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
68%68%
No gapEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
11%9%
Gap 2 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.

Plenty of spare places243 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
58% full

177 places were empty (42% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 14% 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 (21 offers for 30 places). 20 families put it down as their first choice and 20 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary30208521100%all offeredLA
2025 Primary30321143094%830 m (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2024 Primary30361143083%1.1 miles (sibling)LA
2023 Primary302410627100%all offeredLA
2022 Primary3029983090%0.7 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2021 Primary60249735100%all offeredLA
2020 Primary60278334100%all offeredLA
2019 Primary60265828100%all offeredLA

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 0.8 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 0.8 miles of the school£500,500half sold for £410k to £653k
Homes sold280December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+11%a typical home in the district sells for £452,000

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 roll256Census January 2026
Places33078% full
Pupils from low-income families21%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English48%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%41 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.85 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)21%£69,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls114 / 142
White British pupils24%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 7 pupils, for hearing impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Oxfordshire with hearing impairment provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (15), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (14), language and communications needs (11), Hearing impairment (4), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll256283284293328330
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%21%18%16%19%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language48%47%39%38%38%43%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%13%12%13%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%4%5%5%4%

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 school13.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.8%5.8%6.2%7.8%5.0%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.1%4.7%5.8%3.2%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.6%1.6%2.0%1.8%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.0%14.6%20.0%21.1%10.8%10.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.52.51.70.61.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.9full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher21.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants12.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,565
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.62024/25

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£7,335England £7,128. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£7,425England £7,587. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,549England £3,405
Money in reserve0%In the red: -£5,337, -£19 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£25kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,335spent 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 m25712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate108 per 1,000 people18% higher than the England average
Typical house price£452,000Oxford
Nearest bus stop110 mBrookfield Crescent, 28 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
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, OxfordRoman Catholic510 m376Not inspected82Compare
St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil830 m382Good 202372Compare
St Michael's CofE Primary School, Oxford CityChurch of England0.8 miles189Good 202283Compare
Barton Park Primary SchoolFree school0.8 miles193Good 202320Compare
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, OxfordChurch of England1.0 miles208Good 202383Compare
Windmill Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles623No overall grade 202579Compare
East Oxford Primary SchoolCouncil1.4 miles278Not inspected53Compare
Bayards Hill SchoolAcademy1.5 miles234Good 202335Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares New Marston Primary School with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats48%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 57 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 60 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than New Marston 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
St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England2.2 miles252Good 202468Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 57 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 57% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 35 to 77. 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%in line
+0.01
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 44 pupils
Ofsted inspection11% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 6.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.00
DfE progress measure; 44 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.10
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 231 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 44 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 New Marston Primary School a good school?

It is about average. New Marston Primary School scores 57 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 48% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 35 to 77, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is New Marston Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated New Marston Primary School good at its last full inspection on 8 October 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are New Marston Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 68% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 9% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does New Marston Primary School have?

256 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 330 places, so it is 78% full.

Is New Marston Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 177 places were empty in 2024/25 (42% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at New Marston Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at New Marston Primary School?

The average class had 26.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does New Marston Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for hearing impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
New Marston Primary School, Copse Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0AY
Telephone
01865 761560
Website
www.nmps.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Bruce Wilson
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
River Learning Trust (31 schools)
Local authority
Oxfordshire
Ward
Headington Hill & Northway
Constituency
Oxford East
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2017 (new provision)
URN
143951 · LAESTAB 9312020 · UKPRN 10062558
Formerly
New Marston Primary School

Where these figures come from