Orion Academy, Oxford
Orion Academy is a special school for pupils aged 10 to 18 in Oxford, part of The Gallery Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Orion Academy in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Orion Academy are Oxfordshire Hospital School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); Mabel Prichard School (0.5 miles); The Iffley Academy (1.5 miles, Outstanding); and Endeavour Academy, Oxford (3.2 miles, Good).
Oxfordshire Hospital SchoolMabel Prichard SchoolThe Iffley AcademyEndeavour Academy, Oxford
The trust
Orion Academy is one of 7 schools run by The Gallery Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 15 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 60% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 33% to a further education college.
Who goes there
64.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 2.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%), Mixed (10%) and Asian (5%).
Almost every pupil at Orion Academy has an education, health and care plan (73 of 74 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Orion Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 102 places, 102 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Radley Rail Station, about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Spindleberry Close (adjacent), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 270 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Orion Academy issued 28 suspensions, 37.8 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
64.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism, SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Orion Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Orion Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Orion Academy 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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
79%
Available places
74 pupils
94 places
20 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.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
1
SEN Support
73
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Orion Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 102 places, 102 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
74
Total Pupils
69
Boys
5
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
6.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,725
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
31.1%
Overall absence
61.3%
Persistent absence
75
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Orion Academy
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Orion Academy
What are GCSE results like at Orion Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Orion Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 2.6. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Orion Academy's Ofsted rating?
Orion Academy was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Orion Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Orion Academy is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Orion Academy?
Orion Academy has around 74 pupils on roll. 65% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Orion Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Orion Academy has a resourced provision for autism and social, emotional and mental health needs: 102 places, 102 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Orion Academy?
31.1% of sessions were missed at Orion Academy in 2024/25. 61.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Orion Academy?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Orion Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Orion Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Orion Academy?
Orion Academy is at Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 6DQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)