School Chooser

Wantage Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England435 pupilsNurseryWantageOxfordshire
School Chooser Score
58
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 36 to 77
Out of 100. Better than 76% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Reached the expected level at 1173%England 63%
Attendance94.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families24%About the same as most schools in England
PlacesFull435 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher20.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll435Census January 2026

Wantage Church of England Primary School is a converter academy in Wantage for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 435 pupils, 15 more than it has places for. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it.

Newbury Street, Wantage, OX12 8DJ01235 762396wantage.cambrianlt.orgMr Andrew Browne headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1173%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 59%59%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 52%52%20192023: 67%67%20232024: 69%69%20242025: 73%73%2025
Since 2017: +14%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017OxfordshireEngland
Pupils tested596160525858
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths73%69%67%52%71%59%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%10%8%4%7%7%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0106.0107.0102.0106.0106.0106.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0103.0104.0102.0104.0104.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0102.0102.0101.0105.0105.0104.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard86%79%80%62%86%76%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard81%69%77%69%78%76%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)76%77%80%81%81%76%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.0-3.9-0.7+0.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.0-4.4-1.9-1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged58%44%47%27%29%36%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%79%73%62%76%66%

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
58%77%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
79%68%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
100%73%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places365 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
87% full

About 55 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 9% 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 (48 offers for 60 places). 46 families put it down as their first choice and 46 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary604610648100%all offeredLA
2025 Primary605011651100%all offeredLA
2024 Primary604410651100%all offeredLA
2023 Primary604010754100%all offeredLA

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 roll435Census January 2026
Places420104% full
Pupils from low-income families21%24% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English18%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%63 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%23 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.614 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)24%£136,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls227 / 208
White British pupils68%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (25), Moderate learning difficulty (22), Autistic spectrum disorder (15), emotional and mental health (13), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (6), Hearing impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll435405426431432444
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%24%23%22%21%16%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language18%16%14%12%10%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%10%12%15%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%4%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.1%5.4%6.3%7.3%3.9%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.2%5.1%6.4%3.5%3.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.2%1.2%0.9%0.4%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.9%14.6%17.4%19.3%8.0%8.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.76.65.86.32.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers20.0full-time equivalent, 24 people
Pupils per teacher20.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants0.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,370
Teachers who left in the year6%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

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.

Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £239k, £614 per pupil
Money in against money out-£97kit spent more than it took in this year

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 m24312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate56 per 1,000 people38% lower than the England average
Typical house price£400,000Vale of White Horse
Nearest bus stop340 mKing Alfreds School, 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
Stockham Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles203Not inspected12Compare
Charlton Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles444Not inspected40Compare
Wantage Primary AcademyFree school1.2 miles322Outstanding 202379Compare
St Nicholas CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles121Good 202322Compare
St Johns CofE AcademyFree school1.7 miles327Not inspectedCompare
Millbrook Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 miles482Good 202346Compare
Grove Church of England SchoolAcademy2.0 miles182No overall grade 202426Compare
The Ridgeway Church of England (C) Primary SchoolChurch of England2.5 miles82Good 202457Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Wantage Church of England Primary School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats76%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 58 is 22 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 36 · highest 96100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 36 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
+0.05
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 59 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
DfE progress measure; 59 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
0.00
2024/25; 345 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 59 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 Wantage Church of England Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Wantage Church of England Primary School scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 36 to 77, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

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

In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

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

435 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 104% full.

Is Wantage Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 55 places were empty in 2024/25 (13% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

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

Pupils were in school 94.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 26.6 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
Newbury Street, Wantage, OX12 8DJ
Telephone
01235 762396
Website
www.wantage.cambrianlt.org
Headteacher
Mr Andrew Browne
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Oxford
Multi-academy trust
Cambrian Learning Trust (18 schools)
Local authority
Oxfordshire
Ward
Wantage Charlton
Constituency
Didcot and Wantage
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 October 2013 (academy converter)
URN
140255 · LAESTAB 9313246 · UKPRN 10043469
Formerly
Wantage Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from