The Bicester School

The Bicester School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating in all key areas during its recent inspection. The school fosters a positive community, where pupils are friendly and engaged, and staff are dedicated to providing a supportive learning environment. The curriculum is ambitious, ensuring that pupils gain essential knowledge and skills for their future. While the school has strong provisions and systems in place, challenges regarding attendance, particularly among disadvantaged students, have been noted. Nonetheless, the leadership team is actively addressing these issues to improve overall outcomes for all students.

Strengths

• Strong commitment to respect, resilience, and responsibility.
• Positive and inclusive school community.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum.
• Effective support for students with SEND.
• Strong personal development programme.
• High standards of behaviour among pupils.
• Successful sixth-form provision with strong A-level outcomes.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance issues, particularly among disadvantaged students.

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 Bicester School attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.4% 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, 5.9% of pupils at The Bicester School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Bicester School had 17.7 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, 19.0% of pupils at The Bicester School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.7% 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 Bicester School received £7,722 and spent £7,644 for each of its 1,198 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,409,000 (£1,176 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Activate Learning Education Trust, income was £8,774 and spending £8,593 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 Bicester · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

The Bicester School is part of Activate Learning Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• UTC Oxfordshire Didcot
• Theale Green School Reading
• UTC Reading Reading
• UTC Swindon Swindon
• UTC Heathrow Northwood

What is The Bicester School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Bicester School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was The Bicester School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Bicester School was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does The Bicester School have?

The Bicester School has 1,176 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Bicester School cover?

The Bicester School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Bicester School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.3, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Bicester School?

The Bicester School is at Queen's Avenue, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 2NS.