Carswell Community Primary School, Abingdon
Carswell Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Abingdon. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 21 schools in Abingdon with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oxfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Carswell Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Carswell Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 75% in Oxfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Carswell Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Carswell Community Primary School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Carswell Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Carswell Community Primary School are Caldecott Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 69% maths); St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 87% maths); Thameside Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 59% reading, 70% maths); and St Edmund's Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 73% reading, 62% maths).
Carswell Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Caldecott Primary SchoolSt Nicolas Church of England Primary School, AbingdonThameside Primary SchoolSt Edmund's Catholic Primary School
What parents say
76 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Carswell Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 93% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (99%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (91%).
Who goes there
11.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 26.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (63%), Asian (11%) and Black (8%).
In 2026, 20 pupils (9.5%) received SEN support and 8 (3.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Staffing
Carswell Community Primary School had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Radley Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Conduit Road (adjacent), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Carswell Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 186 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Carswell Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Carswell Community Primary School are John Mason School (0.4 miles), Larkmead School (0.6 miles), Fitzharrys School (0.8 miles) and Europa School UK (1.7 miles).
John Mason SchoolLarkmead SchoolFitzharrys SchoolEuropa School UK
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be part of a caring community where everyone is welcomed and valued. The school excels at teaching reading and supporting children with additional needs, ensuring they learn alongside their peers. With ambitious teachers, leadership opportunities for all pupils, and a rich curriculum that brings learning alive, your child will be happy, well-behaved, and well-prepared for their next stage of education.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with skilled phonics teaching and a love of books across the school
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who achieve well and access the same curriculum as their peers
- High-quality early years provision that gives children a strong start with expert guidance in language and number skills
- Well-designed broad and balanced curriculum that sets out important knowledge and skills pupils will learn
- Rich personal development including leadership opportunities, diversity celebrations, and understanding of British values
Areas for Improvement
- Knowledge checking processes are not fully developed across all foundation subjects
- In some subjects, teachers do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Need to ensure systems for checking knowledge are used consistently across all subjects so pupils build successfully on prior learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Junior leadership teams, sports leaders, digital leaders, librarians, remembrance services, Camo Day, school library
Carswell Community Primary School is a caring and nurturing school where pupils are happy, feel safe, and behave consistently well. The school has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection with high expectations for all pupils' conduct and success.
At a Glance
11.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
76 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 81% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 73% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Carswell Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Carswell Community Primary School.
- TA Sport Stars Camp Carswell Community Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- SuperCamps at Abingdon School330m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Carswell Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Oxfordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Carswell Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Carswell Community Primary School is in Oxfordshire; for families living there:
- Oxfordshire's school travel policy: Free home to school travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 17 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Carswell Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Carswell Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Carswell Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Carswell Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Carswell Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oxfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Carswell Community Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oxfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
196 pupils
210 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Abingdon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Abingdon
Across Oxfordshire council
Places available
8,615
Applications
6,903
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
13.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
210
Total Pupils
102
Boys
108
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,572
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,544
Per pupil
£1200k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
184
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Carswell Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Carswell Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Carswell Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Carswell Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Carswell Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Carswell Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Carswell Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Carswell Community Primary School is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Carswell Community Primary School?
Carswell Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Carswell Community Primary School?
Classes at Carswell Community Primary School average 25.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Carswell Community Primary School?
Carswell Community Primary School has around 210 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Carswell Community Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Carswell Community Primary School in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Carswell Community Primary School?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Carswell Community Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Carswell Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: TA Sport Stars Camp Carswell Community Primary School (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Carswell Community Primary School's term dates?
Carswell Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Oxfordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Carswell Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 17 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Carswell Community Primary School?
Carswell Community Primary School is at Bostock Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1DP.
Sources: Oxfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)