Chipping Norton School

Chipping Norton School is a highly effective secondary school. Inspectors found behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision to be outstanding, while the quality of education was good. Pupils achieve examination results well above national averages at key stages 4 and 5, benefit from an ambitious curriculum and expert teaching, and experience exceptional personal development, careers guidance and enrichment. Sixth-form students excel, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school works closely within the River Learning Trust. Trustees have a thorough understanding of the school and challenge leaders appropriately, staff value the high-quality training and consideration of workload and well-being, and parents are positive about communication and relationships. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under the September 2024 framework, it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The main area for improvement is that teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding fully or make necessary adaptations before moving learning on. As a result, some gaps in knowledge are not tackled and a small number of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as highly as their peers. There are also some variations in how well lessons are adapted for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school is asked to share the good practice that already exists so that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve examination results well above national averages at key stages 4 and 5.
• The curriculum is ambitious, carefully planned and skilfully delivered by expert, passionate teachers.
• Behaviour and attitudes are outstanding; pupils are respectful, diligent and exemplary learners.
• Personal development is exceptional, with a comprehensive PSHE programme and strong character education.
• The careers programme is a particular strength, providing high-quality advice and guidance.
• Sixth-form provision is outstanding, with highly effective teaching and a supportive study centre.
• Reading is highly valued, and pupils struggling with reading receive focused support including phonics assistance.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, access a wide range of clubs, trips and leadership roles.
• Leadership and management are outstanding; trustees understand the school and rigorously challenge leaders.
• Staff receive ongoing high-quality training and value leaders’ consideration of workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The school engages and communicates very well with parents and carers.

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding fully or make necessary adaptations before moving learning on.
• Some gaps in knowledge are not tackled, and a small number of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as highly as their peers.
• There are variations in how well lessons are adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
• The school should share existing good practice more consistently so that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

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 Chipping Norton School attended 89.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.5% 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, 4.4% of pupils at Chipping Norton 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 Chipping Norton School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 20.8% of pupils at Chipping Norton School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 2024–25 Chipping Norton School received £7,431 and spent £7,435 for each of its 1,029 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £532,000 (£517 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of River Learning Trust, income was £8,007 and spending £7,763 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 Chipping Norton · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Chipping Norton School is part of River Learning Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Charlbury Primary School
• Middle Barton Primary School Chipping Norton
• Witney Community Primary School Witney
• Tower Hill Community Primary School Witney
• Madley Brook Community Primary School Witney
• The Marlborough Church of England School Woodstock
• Windrush Church of England Primary School Witney
• Edith Moorhouse Primary School Carterton
• Gosford Hill School Kidlington
• Edward Feild Primary School Kidlington

What is Chipping Norton School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chipping Norton School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Chipping Norton School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chipping Norton School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Chipping Norton School have?

Chipping Norton School has 1,035 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chipping Norton School cover?

Chipping Norton School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Chipping Norton School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.9, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Chipping Norton School?

Chipping Norton School is at Burford Road, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5DY.