Whitelands Academy, Bicester
Whitelands Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Bicester, part of The White Horse Federation. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 22nd-highest of the 41 schools in Oxfordshire with published results, and 1,734th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 96% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Oxfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Whitelands Academy in detail
Whitelands Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Our school is committed to ensuring the online safety and wellbeing of our school community. We aim to support everyone at our school so that they are able to enjoy all the benefits of the digital world in a safe and secure way. National Online Safety's mission is to make the internet a safer place for children."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Whitelands Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.2 in Oxfordshire and 47 across England.
49% 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 46.4.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 28.4, against 50.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Spanish and History.
Getting a place at Whitelands Academy
For September 2026 entry, 145 families put Whitelands Academy as their first choice and 316 named it as one of their preferences, for 104 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 47 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Whitelands Academy are The Bicester School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3); The Cooper School (1.6 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 43.9); and Heyford Park School (4.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7).
Whitelands Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
The trust
Whitelands Academy is one of 30 schools run by The White Horse Federation, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.1 in 2024/25.
Who goes there
Whitelands Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bicester Village Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Whitelands Way South (ne-bound), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 197 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. 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, Whitelands Academy issued 120 suspensions, 20.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Whitelands Academy are St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School (0.2 miles); Chesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.9 miles); St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bicester (0.9 miles); and Graven Hill Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Edburg's Church of England (VA) SchoolChesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, BicesterGraven Hill Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Attainment 8 has declined from 46.4 to 45.5 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 54% to 49% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.5 | 48.7% |
| Disadvantaged(25) | - | 28.4 | 20% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(90) | - | 50.2 | 56.7% |
| Boys(59) | - | 43.8 | 44.1% |
| Girls(56) | - | 47.2 | 53.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(18) | - | 39.3 | 38.9% |
| Non mobile(111) | - | 45.9 | 49.5% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
120
Suspensions
20.87%
Suspension rate
55 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 575 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Whitelands Academy
Students celebrate GCSE results day success
20 Aug 2026
A Proactive Approach to Allergy Management
30 Jun 2026
Changes to Free School Meals Guidance
12 Jun 2026
TWHF Shortlisted for Two Awards at ‘The Oscars of Education’
8 May 2026
TWHF shortlisted for two MAT excellence awards
6 Mar 2026
New Ofsted report cards and grades: a guide for parents
11 Feb 2026
From Whitelands Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Whitelands Academy
Term dates
Whitelands Academy is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Oxfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Whitelands Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Whitelands 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
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 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 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
Your chances of a place at Whitelands Academy
Will you get a place at Whitelands Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Whitelands Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Whitelands Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Whitelands Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oxfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Whitelands Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oxfordshire 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
96%
Near capacity
574 pupils
600 places
26 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bicester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bicester
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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
116
SEN Support
29
EHC Plans
25.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Whitelands Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
565
Total Pupils
318
Boys
247
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
15.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,861
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,018
Per pupil
£4336k
Total funding
£114k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.9%
Overall absence
24.3%
Persistent absence
610
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
Whitelands Academy
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Whitelands Academy
What are GCSE results like at Whitelands Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Whitelands Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.5. 49% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Whitelands Academy's Ofsted rating?
Whitelands Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023.
What is the catchment area for Whitelands Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Whitelands Academy is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Whitelands Academy?
Whitelands Academy was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Whitelands Academy?
Classes at Whitelands Academy average 25.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Whitelands Academy?
Whitelands Academy has around 565 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Whitelands Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Whitelands Academy has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Whitelands Academy?
9.9% of sessions were missed at Whitelands Academy in 2024/25. 24.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Whitelands Academy?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Whitelands Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Whitelands Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Whitelands Academy?
Whitelands Academy is at Hexham Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 1AY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)