Wheatley Park School

Wheatley Park School is a mainstream secondary school with a sixth form and is part of the River Learning Trust. In this September 2026 full inspection, it was judged to be performing well overall. Achievement and curriculum and teaching are graded strong standard, while attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision are expected standard. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well in GCSE examinations, make positive progress and benefit from an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and expert teaching. The school's culture is a notable strength: pupils behave extremely well, relationships are positive, the environment is calm and orderly, and bullying or discrimination is not tolerated. Vulnerable pupils and those with SEND are generally well supported, staff are proud to work at the school, and the broad enrichment and pastoral offer helps pupils feel safe and prepared for their next steps. Sixth-form students are well supported and outcomes are broadly in line with expectations, although they have varied over time. There are still areas to improve. Disadvantaged pupils' absence remains too high, and leaders need to review the impact of their attendance work more precisely. Pupils with SEND and their parents or carers are not always clear about the support they are entitled to, and some pupils feel their views are not acted on, often because communication is not sharp enough. Pupils' knowledge of life in modern Britain, including financial literacy, is less secure than in other areas, and strategic priorities are not always informed by accurate self-evaluation.

Strengths

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, consistently achieve well in GCSE examinations.
• Pupils develop detailed and secure knowledge in the vast majority of subjects.
• Pupils with SEND make highly positive progress from their starting points.
• Pupils with gaps in reading, writing or mathematics catch up very quickly.
• Pupils are confident communicators who write fluently and articulate their knowledge well.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced to reflect pupils' needs.
• Teachers have high levels of subject expertise and explain new concepts clearly.
• Teachers regularly check understanding and address misconceptions swiftly.
• Pupils with SEND participate fully in learning and are well supported.
• Behaviour is excellent and the school is a calm, orderly environment.
• Positive relationships between pupils and staff are a strength.
• Bullying and discrimination are not tolerated and are dealt with effectively.
• Leaders make effective use of pupil premium funding and support vulnerable pupils well.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and benefit from effective professional learning.
• Governance fulfils statutory responsibilities and provides effective support and challenge.
• Pupils benefit from a broad enrichment offer and strong pastoral support.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next steps, including ambitious destinations.
• Sixth-form teaching is effective and students demonstrate positive learning habits.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' absence remains too high and requires further reduction.
• Leaders do not yet review the impact of their attendance work regularly and precisely enough.
• Pupils with SEND and their parents or carers are sometimes unclear about the support they are entitled to.
• Some pupils feel their needs or views are not acted on, often because communication is not sharp enough.
• Pupils' knowledge of life in modern Britain is less secure than other areas, including financial literacy.
• Strategic priorities are not always clearly informed by accurate self-evaluation.
• Post-16 outcomes have varied over time, though leaders are taking effective action.

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 Wheatley Park School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.1% 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, 5.8% of pupils at Wheatley Park 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 Wheatley Park School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.2% 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, 22.1% of pupils at Wheatley Park 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 Wheatley Park School received £9,360 and spent £7,462 for each of its 1,150 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,275,000 (£1,109 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 Oxford · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

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

• Horspath Church of England Primary School Oxford
• Sandhills Community Primary School Oxford
• Bayards Hill School Oxford
• Garsington Church of England Primary School Oxford
• Barton Park Primary School Oxford
• Cheney School Oxford
• Beckley Church of England Primary School Oxford
• New Marston Primary School Oxford
• The Oxford Academy Oxford
• Larkrise Primary School Oxford

What is Wheatley Park School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wheatley Park School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Wheatley Park School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wheatley Park School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Wheatley Park School have?

Wheatley Park School has 1,146 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wheatley Park School cover?

Wheatley Park School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Wheatley Park School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.8, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Wheatley Park School?

Wheatley Park School is at Holton, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1QH.