Pepper Hill School, Milton Keynes
Pepper Hill School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Milton Keynes. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. It was 77% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Milton Keynes (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Pepper Hill School in detail
Pepper Hill School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am, from £2.50 per day.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Pepper Hill School
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put Pepper Hill School as their first choice and 65 named it as one of their preferences, for 36 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Pepper Hill School are New Bradwell Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 62% reading, 64% maths); Stanton School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 74% reading, 79% maths); Wood End Infant & Pre-School (0.8 miles, Good); and Priory Common School (0.9 miles, Good).
New Bradwell Primary SchoolStanton SchoolWood End Infant & Pre-SchoolPriory Common School
Who goes there
5.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 39% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (34%), Mixed (27%) and Black (13%).
In 2026, 17 pupils (12.5%) received SEN support and 3 (2.2%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wolverton Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ashwood (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Pepper Hill School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Pepper Hill School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Pepper Hill School are Stantonbury School (0.6 miles) and The Radcliffe School (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
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 November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pepper Hill is full of happy pupils. They want to come to school because they enjoy their learning and look forward to seeing their friends and caring adults. The breakfast club offers a fun and nutritious start to the school day for those pupils who need it.
There are high expectations set for children's behaviour and learning through the well-known 'PROUD' values. These expectations begin right from the moment children enter the school in Nursery and Reception. Across the school, pupils live up to these high expectations and behave extremely well. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to their teachers and are enthusiastic and attentive learners. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, they enjoy playing with their friends. Relationships between pupils and staff are strong because they are rooted in kindness and respect. Pupils know that their caring adults will help them if they have any worries.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed an interesting and relevant curriculum. In all subjects, the learning journey is considered from its start in Nursery and Reception. It is structured to give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to learn by the end of Year 2. As a result, most pupils are well prepared for their entry into Year 3. They benefit from extensive transition procedures through their frequent visits to the federated junior school.
The school acted quickly to prioritise the teaching of reading, following disappointing phonics outcomes in 2023. This work is making a difference to how well pupils learn to read. All staff are trained in how to teach pupils to read using the school's phonics programme. This means that there is now a more effective approach to teaching phonics, using reading books that match the sounds pupils learn. Pupils enjoy their reading routines and join in with enthusiasm as they read with increasing fluency. Those who need extra help receive it in a highly targeted way. Pupils enjoy their regular story times and whole-school activities such as the 'Books for Breakfast' family event, as well as meeting their 'poet in residence'.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.2
Avg class size
22.2
Infant (KS1)
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Pepper Hill School
Welcome home, Pepper Hill!
15 Jun 2026
Posting winter cards
11 Dec 2024
Offering the hand of friendship
25 Nov 2024
Federation Harvest Celebration
9 Jul 2024
Books for Breakfast
21 May 2024
World Book Day
13 Mar 2024
From Pepper Hill School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Pepper Hill School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Pepper Hill School.
- SS Ltd @ Stantonbury950m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pepper Hill School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pepper Hill School is in Milton Keynes; for families living there:
- Milton Keynes's school travel policy: School Travel Support Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 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 Pepper Hill School
Will you get a place at Pepper Hill School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Pepper Hill School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Pepper Hill School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Pepper Hill School.
- Milton Keynes publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Pepper Hill School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Pepper Hill School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Milton Keynes 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
77%
Available places
126 pupils
164 places
38 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Milton Keynes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Milton Keynes
Across Milton Keynes council
Places available
4,130
Applications
3,155
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Milton Keynes council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
14.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
136
Total Pupils
65
Boys
71
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
19.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,307
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,529
Per pupil
£857k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.1%
Overall absence
26.9%
Persistent absence
93
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
Pepper Hill School
Questions parents ask about Pepper Hill School
What is Pepper Hill School's Ofsted rating?
Pepper Hill School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Pepper Hill School?
No fixed boundary. When Pepper Hill School is oversubscribed, Milton Keynes allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Pepper Hill School?
Pepper Hill School was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 164 places.
How big are the classes at Pepper Hill School?
Classes at Pepper Hill School average 22.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Pepper Hill School?
Pepper Hill School has around 136 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Pepper Hill School?
8.1% of sessions were missed at Pepper Hill School in 2024/25. 26.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pepper Hill School?
Apply through Milton Keynes's coordinated admissions process, naming Pepper Hill 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 Pepper Hill School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Pepper Hill School: SS Ltd @ Stantonbury (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Pepper Hill School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 8 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Pepper Hill School?
Pepper Hill School is at Kingsfold, Bradville, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK13 7BQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)