The Cherwell School, Oxford

In its own words: "At Cherwell we set our students and ourselves "no limits" and we embody the greatest ambition for all our young people. We are a school which always places emphasis on the individual."

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a great pleasure to welcome you to The Cherwell School. The Cherwell School is a unique and remarkable school that has been central to our part of Oxford for a long time. We have a commitment to excellence in all that we do. The opportunities that we offer are extensive and rich."

In 2026, pupils at The Cherwell School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 58.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.2 in Oxfordshire and 47 across England.

65% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Oxfordshire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 58.3.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.88: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.9, against 63.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 25.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 30 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Social Studies, Biology and Chemistry.

For September 2026 entry, 396 families put The Cherwell School as their first choice and 965 named it as one of their preferences, for 243 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 154 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Cherwell School are The Swan School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 60.1); Cheney School (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47); Oxford Spires Academy (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.7); and Gosford Hill School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1).

The Cherwell School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

The Cherwell School is one of 31 schools run by River Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.3 in 2024/25.

Of the 284 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 24% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 323 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 42% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 35% into work. 40% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

14.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The Cherwell School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs and autism: 30 places, 26 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Oxford Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cherwell School (opposite), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Cherwell School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, The Cherwell School issued 76 suspensions, 3.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Cherwell School are St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles), St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School Oxford (0.8 miles), Cutteslowe Primary School (0.8 miles) and St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.