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Dragon School, Oxford

Independent
Other independent school
Mixed
Ages 4–14
Boarding school

Dragon School is an independent school for pupils aged 4 to 14 in Oxford. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in October 2025.

New inspections, open days and news, by email.

Data last updated 27 Oct 2026

Dragon School in detail

Dragon School in its own words

In its own words: "The Dragon has proudly been at the forefront of prep school education in the UK since it was founded in 1877. The school remains true to the educational ethos of the first Head, Skipper Lynam, whilst preparing young Dragons to be global citizens of the 21st century. The values of Kindness, Courage and Respect are instilled in all Dragons."

From the headteacher's welcome: "The best way to experience the Dragon difference is to see it for yourself, and our admissions team are eager to show you around. But for a flavour of what you’ll find here at the Dragon, take a look at the short welcome film below."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, drama, Lego, gardening and debating.

Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and an open evening on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

All school open days in Oxfordshire

Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)

Source: The school's own website

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other independent schools to Dragon School are Wychwood School (0.2 miles, selective); Oxford High School GDST (0.4 miles); St Clare's, Oxford (0.5 miles, selective); and Summer Fields School (0.8 miles, selective).

Wychwood SchoolOxford High School GDSTSt Clare's, OxfordSummer Fields School

Who goes there

In 2026, 257 pupils (33.9%) received SEN support and 1 (0.1%) had an education, health and care plan.

Getting there

The nearest railway station is Oxford Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Margarets Road east (opposite), 350 metres away.

The area around the school

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dragon 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 169 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52), as is usual near a town centre.

Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Emma Goldsmith
Pupils:759
LA:Oxfordshire
Phone:01865315400
Address:Bardwell Road, Oxford, OX2 6SS
Status:open
Opened:1 January 1931

ISI Inspection Reports

Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted.

  • Routine Inspection

    14 October 2025

    PDF
  • Educational Quality / Focused Compliance

    29 November 2022

    PDF
  • Regulatory Compliance

    25 April 2018

    PDF
  • Integrated

    11 November 2014

    PDF
View full ISI report page
URN:123288
UKPRN:10015522
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Oxford West and Abingdon
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

About

The Dragon School is a private school across two sites in Oxford, England. The Dragon Pre-Prep and Prep School are both co-educational schools.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

How Does This School Compare?

Ranked against 4 nearby independent schools

See peer comparison with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Keep up with Dragon School

Getting There

Bus Stops

St Margarets Road east (opp)
353m · 6 min walk
Park Town (opp)
372m · 6 min walk
Linton Road (S-bound)
484m · 8 min walk
St Margarets Road west (adj)
608m · 10 min walk
Canterbury Road (adj)
618m · 10 min walk

Safety and surroundings

Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)

Collisions
11
Fatal
0
Serious
1
Children hurt
0

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 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

See commute times and house prices with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

91%

Near capacity

759 pupils

838 places

79 spare places

as recorded on GIAS

Area Demand Pressure - Oxford

High pressure
New homes approved:5,509
Projected new pupils:992

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oxford

Across Oxfordshire council

Low demand council-wide0.89 applications per place

Places available

7,654

Applications

6,814

Got 1st preference

85.4%

Got preferred school

96.3%

All secondary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

257

SEN Support

1

EHC Plans

34.0%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

No need-level breakdown available

Pupil Demographics

Key Indicators

759

Total Pupils

415

Boys

344

Girls

2026 academic year

Questions parents ask about Dragon School

When was Dragon School last inspected?

Dragon School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in October 2025.

How many pupils go to Dragon School?

Dragon School has around 759 pupils on roll.

How do I apply to Dragon School?

Dragon School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.

How many road collisions happen near Dragon School?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 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 Dragon School?

Dragon School is at Bardwell Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6SS.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

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