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Larkmead School

Secondary · Abingdon · OX14 1RF

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 27 March 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

959 pupils · 90% of 1,060 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
21.8% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
10.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
14.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
5.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
www.larkmead-school.com
URN
143890

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 191 families named it first for 164 Year 7 places, 1.16 first choices per place. We hold 15 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2012 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 27 March 2024 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 12.7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.16 first-choice applications per place

164 places offered · 191 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: defined priority area. Inside it, last place at 1.706 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Cutoff by admission criterion (2026 entry)

Criterion 5 (Children who live in our catchment area)
1.706 miles

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

144 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
39.4
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
54.9%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
34.7%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.4
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
32.5
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school39.4
Median of its 12 closest peers44.8
Oxfordshire average45.4
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Caldew SchoolCarlisle · 230 miles awayExpected standard44.3
Sir William Robertson Academy, WelbournLincoln · 101 miles awayNo current grade39.8
Thamesmead SchoolShepperton · 42 miles awayStrong standard50.6
Bohunt School WorthingWorthing · 71 miles awayGood46.7
Hanham Woods AcademyBristol · 55 miles awayGood44.1
Kingsbury Green AcademyCalne · 35 miles awayNeeds attention39.6
The Matthew Arnold SchoolStaines-upon-Thames · 39 miles awayGood49
RodboroughGodalming · 45 miles awayExpected standard53.4
St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary AcademyClitheroe · 155 miles awayGood44.9
Farnham Heath EndFarnham · 38 miles awayGood44.8
Clyst Vale Community CollegeExeter · 112 miles awayGood44.5
The Priory SchoolShrewsbury · 94 miles awayGood52.7

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 76% (Oxfordshire 64%, England 59%) · Any other White background 5% (Oxfordshire 9%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 3% (Oxfordshire 2%, England 3%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Oxfordshire 2%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Oxfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Black African 2% (Oxfordshire 3%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Oxfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Oxfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 1% (Oxfordshire 2%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Oxfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Any other Black background 1% (Oxfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Not recorded 1% (Oxfordshire 4%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Oxfordshire 0%, England 1%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
12.7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
29.4%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

18.94 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Oxfordshire: 20.32 suspensions and 0.04 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

95% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 3% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

58.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 5.7 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £50,904; 11.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
97%
Continuing in education
89%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
4%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
36%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
36%
Any sustained destination
83%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
10/10among the least deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher57.7%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications7.9%18.1%
In managerial or professional work52.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways7.7%18.1%
Residents in very good health56.6%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier66%62.3%
Social housing9.2%17.1%
Privately rented24.8%20.5%
Detached houses13.1%22.9%
Flats23.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms23.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van14.4%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01028698 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£360,000185 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£285,000–£475,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (27)£577,000
Semi-detached (56)£390,000
Terraced (66)£349,000
Flat (36)£202,500

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
0an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
7an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
3an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools