Orion Academy
Orion Academy is a sponsored special academy in Oxford for boys aged 10 to 18. It has 74 pupils and room for 94. About 65 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.
Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, OX4 6DQ01865 771703orionacademy.co.ukHeadteacher Julia Hyde headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 June 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
13 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019† | 2018† | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 14 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 9.7 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 45.4 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -2.62 | -1.47 | -3.17 | -2.12 | -2.00 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 17% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 47% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 17% | 0% | 8% | 0% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.24 | 0.11 | 0.78 | 0.33 | 0.54 | 0.11 | 4.05 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 36% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 2.1 | – | 2.0 | 4.9 | 2.6 | – | – |
† These results are for Northfield School, the school this one replaced in February 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 1 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 6 | 0% | 0% | 33% | 53% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2023
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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2023 | 2018† | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 4 | 5 | – | – |
† These results are for Northfield School, the school this one replaced in February 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Oxfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, social, emotional and mental health.
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 autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (52), Autistic spectrum disorder (15), Other difficulty or disability (5), language and communications needs (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 74 | 74 | 83 | 96 | 87 | 68 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 65% | 70% | 70% | 63% | 61% | 63% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 99% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 68.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 31.1% | 30.7% | 25.2% | 25.7% | 33.2% | 38.0% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 21.0% | 21.0% | 16.7% | 19.5% | 26.1% | 21.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 10.0% | 9.7% | 8.6% | 6.2% | 7.1% | 16.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 61.3% | 69.4% | 58.3% | 62.2% | 76.5% | 78.6% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 37.8 | 113.3 | 53.1 | 21.8 | 7.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Northfield School, the school this one replaced in February 2020. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 6 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 67% | 36% | 43% |
| Education | 50% | 27% | 43% |
| Apprenticeship | 17% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 9% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 27% | 14% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore | Academy | 600 m | 242 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
| Windale Primary School | Academy | 630 m | 196 | Good 2022 | 67 | Compare |
| The Oxford Academy | Academy | 730 m | 1,062 | Report card 2026 | 4 | Compare |
| Orchard Meadow Primary School | Academy | 750 m | 209 | Good 2022 | 11 | Compare |
| Oxfordshire Hospital School | Council | 830 m | 0 | Outstanding 2023 | – | Compare |
| Mabel Prichard School | Academy | 870 m | 116 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| John Henry Newman Academy | Academy | 910 m | 392 | Good 2024 | 31 | Compare |
| Pegasus School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 479 | Good 2023 | 26 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Orion Academy a good school?
Orion Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in June 2024.
What is Orion Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Orion Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 4 June 2024.
How good are Orion Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% 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 4.3, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Orion Academy have?
74 pupils aged 10 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 94 places, so it is 79% full. It is a boys' school.
What is attendance like at Orion Academy?
Pupils were in school 68.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 61% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Orion Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Orion Academy have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, OX4 6DQ
- Telephone
- 01865 771703
- Website
- www.orionacademy.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Julia Hyde
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 10-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Boys
- Multi-academy trust
- The Gallery Trust (7 schools)
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Ward
- Northfield Brook
- Constituency
- Oxford East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 February 2020 (new provision)
- URN
- 147728 · LAESTAB 9317004 · UKPRN 10085410
- Formerly
- Northfield School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2022/23.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.