School Chooser

Oakbank School

Secondary · ages 11-16MixedFree school300 pupilsReadingWokingham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Strong pass in English and maths38%England 46%
Attendance88.5%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families35%Far more than most schools
Places260 spare300 pupils, 560 places
Pupils per teacher14.7School workforce census

Oakbank School is a free school in Reading for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 300 pupils and room for 560. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Hyde End Lane, Ryeish Green, Hyde End Lane, Reading, RG7 1ER0118 988 3616oakbankschool.co.ukRobert Gerrard headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 November 2024, 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”
Inadequate
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Inadequate
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Inadequate
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Inadequate
Safeguarding
Not effective
No

Ofsted has serious worries about this school. It is in special measures.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

92 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Oakbank, the school this one replaced.

Average GCSE score41.3
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths38%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths58%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-0.38In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 46.146.120182019: 38.338.320192022: 45.245.220222023: 41.841.820232024: 41.841.820242025: 41.341.32025
Since 2018: -4.8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2022†2019†2018†WokinghamEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1192105968710573
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 841.341.841.845.238.346.154.446.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-0.38-0.35-0.40-0.50+0.05
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths38%43%38%41%18%41%63%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths58%61%67%61%52%63%79%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score3.583.593.664.083.123.874.954.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry16%20%20%36%13%18%52%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged35.733.834.631.430.933.1
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged44.144.045.349.041.850.3
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers26.932.626.717.123.8
Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers65.356.071.850.259.0

† These results are for Oakbank, the school this one replaced in September 2025. 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. 2 of the 3 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 GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
35.744.1
Gap 8.4England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
26%44%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
35.246.8
Gap 11.6England 3.0
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.

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 (43 offers for 112 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Secondary1124643all offeredLA
2025 Secondary11212058all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll300Census January 2026
Places56054% full
Pupils from low-income families35%35% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%66 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.614 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)36%£116,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls157 / 143
White British pupils67%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (25), emotional and mental health (24), language and communications needs (14), Specific learning difficulty (10), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Physical disability (1).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance88.5%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school34.2%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission4.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.5%10.8%11.8%10.8%6.4%6.0%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.8%6.5%6.0%6.8%4.4%4.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.7%4.4%5.9%4.0%2.0%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence34.2%31.8%34.2%34.7%17.0%17.8%23.9%

† These attendance figures are for Oakbank, the school this one replaced in September 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff

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

Teachers20.4full-time equivalent, 21 people
Pupils per teacher14.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,469
Vacancies3

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m5512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people57% lower than the England average
Typical house price£490,000Wokingham
Nearest bus stop90 mRyeish Green School, 1 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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hartland High SchoolAcademy1.6 miles589Inadequate 20230Compare
Reading Girls' SchoolAcademy2.3 miles905Good 202160Compare
Maiden Erlegh SchoolAcademy3.0 miles1,841Outstanding 202087Compare
Reading SchoolAcademy (grammar)3.2 miles1,138Outstanding 202399Compare
UTC ReadingUniversity technical college3.3 miles299No overall grade 202517Compare
Maiden Erlegh School in ReadingFree school3.3 miles889Good 202354Compare
Kendrick SchoolAcademy (grammar)3.3 miles939Outstanding 202299Compare
Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic SchoolRoman Catholic3.4 miles1,082Good 202353Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Oakbank School a good school?

Oakbank School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in November 2024.

What is Oakbank School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Oakbank School not judged at its last full inspection on 13 November 2024.

How good are Oakbank School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 38% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 41.3, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Oakbank School have?

300 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 560 places, so it is 54% full.

What is attendance like at Oakbank School?

Pupils were in school 88.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 34% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Oakbank School?

The average class had 21.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Oakbank School have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.

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

Contact and details

Address
Hyde End Lane, Ryeish Green, Hyde End Lane, Reading, RG7 1ER
Telephone
0118 988 3616
Website
www.oakbankschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Robert Gerrard
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Greenshaw Learning Trust (39 schools)
Local authority
Wokingham
Ward
Spencers Wood & Swallowfield
Constituency
Earley and Woodley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2025 (change in status)
URN
152100 · LAESTAB 8724002 · UKPRN 10099260
Formerly
Oakbank

Where these figures come from