The Cottesloe School

The Cottesloe School demonstrates a strong overall performance, characterized by a positive culture and effective leadership. Safeguarding standards are met, ensuring that pupils feel safe and supported. The school's comprehensive personal development program contributes to fostering responsible and resilient students, and there are well-established systems for supporting those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Leaders have high expectations for pupil achievement, with many students moving on to positive next steps in education or training. Recent inspections indicate a culture of respect and a commitment to inclusive practices throughout the school.

Strengths

• Comprehensive personal development programme that prepares pupils for life beyond school.
• Effective pastoral care with well-trained staff who support pupils' needs.
• Extensive extra-curricular offer that encourages all pupils to participate.
• Strong careers guidance that aligns work experience with pupils' interests.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching strategies for checks on pupils' learning need to be fully embedded to deepen learning.
• Inconsistent precision in identifying specific barriers faced by pupils in mathematical knowledge.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Cottesloe School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 8.5% of pupils at The Cottesloe School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Cottesloe School had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 15.8% of pupils at The Cottesloe School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Cottesloe School received £8,227 and spent £8,187 for each of its 1,191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £182,000 (£153 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Cottesloe School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Cottesloe School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was The Cottesloe School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Cottesloe School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does The Cottesloe School have?

The Cottesloe School has 1,190 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Cottesloe School cover?

The Cottesloe School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Cottesloe School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.9, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Cottesloe School?

The Cottesloe School is at Church Street, Wing, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, LU7 0NY.