Wallingford School

Wallingford School continues to perform well as a good school, maintaining its positive reputation since its last inspection in 2017. The school fosters an inclusive environment where pupils of all abilities can learn together, supported by high aspirations from staff and strong leadership. Pupils express their happiness and sense of safety on campus, contributing to a calm and orderly atmosphere, with robust measures against bullying. The wide range of extracurricular activities and strong community ties further enrich the student experience.

Strengths

• Inclusive environment that supports pupils of all abilities.
• High aspirations for all pupils leading to positive learning environments.
• Strong subject knowledge among staff enhances pupils' learning.
• Effective assessment system that helps identify gaps in knowledge.
• Strong pastoral support and positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Effective careers education guiding pupils in future choices.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in English and design technology needs further development.
• Learning support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND is not yet ambitious enough.

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 Wallingford School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.1% 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, 5.7% of pupils at Wallingford School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were 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 Wallingford School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.3% 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, 16.8% of pupils at Wallingford School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% 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 2023–24 Wallingford School received £7,237 and spent £7,375 for each of its 1,411 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £652,000 (£462 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Merchant Taylors' Oxfordshire Academy Trust Ltd, income was £7,367 and spending £7,444 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wallingford · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Wallingford School is part of The Merchant Taylors' Oxfordshire Academy Trust Ltd, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell Church of England Primary School Wallingford
• Aylesbury UTC Aylesbury

What is Wallingford School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wallingford School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Wallingford School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wallingford School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Wallingford School have?

Wallingford School has 1,507 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wallingford School cover?

Wallingford School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Wallingford School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.9, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Wallingford School?

Wallingford School is at St George's Road, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8HH.