Dragon School, Oxford
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.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted.
Routine Inspection
14 October 2025
Educational Quality / Focused Compliance
29 November 2022
Regulatory Compliance
25 April 2018
Integrated
11 November 2014
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
Latest from Dragon School
Celebrating 30 Years
18 Sep 2026
Seven Days to the Summit
18 Aug 2026
Senior School Transition - when is the right time?
6 Aug 2026
Dragon Tales Summer 2026
29 Jul 2026
A Walk Down Dragon Lane … with the Schuller Family
6 Jul 2026
Bun Break With … Ma Herbert
18 Jun 2026
From Dragon School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Dragon School
Getting There
Bus Stops
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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
91%
Near capacity
759 pupils
838 places
79 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Oxford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oxford
Across Oxfordshire council
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
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)