The Henry Box School

The Henry Box School continues to maintain a good standard of education, with leaders committed to the aspirational success of all pupils. The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, providing a broad range of subjects that prepare students well for future qualifications. Most students, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs, are making good progress. However, there are concerns regarding the low expectations set for some pupils with SEND, as well as issues related to the management of bullying and the low attendance of a subset of pupils, which could impact their overall learning experience.

Strengths

• Leaders have implemented a thoughtfully sequenced curriculum.
• Pupils follow a broad range of subjects, leading to high-quality qualifications.
• Strong subject knowledge among staff supports effective pupil learning.
• Effective reading programs help pupils with reading difficulties catch up quickly.
• Good personal development and careers programs prepare pupils for the future.
• The school promotes a diverse and inclusive community.

Areas for Improvement

• Expectations for some pupils with SEND are too low.
• Some pupils' attendance remains too low, negatively affecting their learning.
• Concerns about bullying are not always effectively addressed.

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 Henry Box School attended 88.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.9% 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, 7.7% of pupils at The Henry Box 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 The Henry Box School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 16.3% of pupils at The Henry Box School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 2024–25 The Henry Box School received £7,345 and spent £7,366 for each of its 1,075 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,096,000 (£1,020 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of The Mill Academy, income was £7,456 and spending £7,506 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 Witney · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

The Henry Box School is part of The Mill Academy, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Queen Emma's Primary School Witney
• Finstock Church of England Primary School Chipping Norton

What is The Henry Box School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Henry Box School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was The Henry Box School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Henry Box School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does The Henry Box School have?

The Henry Box School has 1,027 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Henry Box School cover?

The Henry Box School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Henry Box School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.6, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Henry Box School?

The Henry Box School is at Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4AX.