Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School, Wallingford
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wallingford. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 11 schools in Wallingford with published results, and 13,877th of 14,452 across England. It was 70% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oxfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School in detail
Results
In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School reached the expected standard in reading and 38% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 75% in Oxfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 62% in reading and 31% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School as their first choice and 29 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School are Abbey Woods Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 78% reading, 74% maths); St Laurence Church of England School (1.4 miles, 80% reading, 80% maths); Long Wittenham (Church of England) Primary School (2 miles, 75% reading, 88% maths); and Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 91% reading, 87% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School.
Abbey Woods AcademySt Laurence Church of England SchoolLong Wittenham (Church of England) Primary SchoolBrightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School
What parents say
22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School (as of September 2025): 77% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that they would recommend the school (77%).
Who goes there
6.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 7.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (71%), Mixed (12%) and Asian (5%).
In 2026, 21 pupils (27.6%) received SEN support and 3 (3.9%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Culham Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Malthouse Lane (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often other theft and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School issued 1 suspension, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2015, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will be part of a nurturing community where they feel valued, safe and well cared for. The school has successfully built a positive culture where pupils behave well, attend regularly and take pride in their learning. The school excels at supporting children who need extra help, including those with special educational needs.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics teaching with pupils learning to read fluently from Reception onwards
- Excellent provision for pupils with SEND who are quickly identified and receive effective support
- Positive school culture with high expectations for behavior and attendance has improved significantly
- Warm relationships between staff and pupils create a safe, caring environment
- Pupils engage in meaningful community activities and develop into considerate young people
Areas for Improvement
- Not all subjects have clearly identified the essential knowledge pupils need to learn, leading to inconsistent teaching
- Tasks given to pupils do not consistently reinforce the precise knowledge they have been taught
- Staff do not always identify pupils' misconceptions and errors quickly enough to address them
- Mathematics outcomes are below national averages and pupils' knowledge is less secure
- Some teaching does not adapt to address gaps in pupil understanding
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Leaving books around the village, raising money for local charities, singing in the nearby Abbey
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School is a nurturing primary school where pupils are valued and included, with strong pastoral care and behavior. However, some pupils are not achieving as well as they should, particularly in mathematics where outcomes are below national averages.
At a Glance
6.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
22 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 remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 31% to 38% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 62% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
17.0
Avg class size
14.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School.
- The Oxford Boat Adventure800m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School is a voluntary controlled 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dorchester St Birinus Church of England 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School
Will you get a place at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oxfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England 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
70%
Available places
74 pupils
105 places
31 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wallingford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wallingford
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(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
31.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
76
Total Pupils
41
Boys
35
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
10.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,636
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,756
Per pupil
£562k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
11.1%
Persistent absence
63
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School
What are SATs results like at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Of the pupils at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 63% reached the expected standard in reading and 38% did so in maths.
What is Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School's Ofsted rating?
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
No fixed boundary. When Dorchester St Birinus Church of England 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Classes at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School average 17 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School has around 76 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School in 2024/25. 11.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Dorchester St Birinus Church of England 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School: The Oxford Boat Adventure (800m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School's term dates?
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School is a voluntary controlled 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School?
Dorchester St Birinus Church of England School is at Queen Street, Dorchester, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 7HR.
Sources: Oxfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)