The Cooper School, Bicester

In 2026, pupils at The Cooper School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.2 in Oxfordshire and 47 across England.

39% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Oxfordshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 41.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.21: pupils made below 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 30.6, against 45.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 120 families put The Cooper School as their first choice and 271 named it as one of their preferences, for 184 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Cooper School are The Bicester School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3); Whitelands Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.5); and Heyford Park School (4.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7).

The Cooper School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

The Cooper School is one of 9 schools run by Acer Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51.2 in 2024/25.

210 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Cooper School (as of September 2025): 75% would recommend the school, 81% say their child is happy there and 59% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (87%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (59%).

Of the 234 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 9% into work.

Of the 110 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 50% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 29% into work. 16% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

12.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Bicester North Rail Station, about 540 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ruskin Walk (opposite), 190 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Cooper 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 137 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Cooper School issued 193 suspensions, 15.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to The Cooper School are Glory Farm Primary School (0.2 miles), Southwold Primary School (0.4 miles), Longfields Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles) and Bure Park Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.