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Watling Primary School

Primary Ages 3-11 327 pupils Milton Keynes
All schools in Milton Keynes

Watling Primary School is a free schools in Milton Keynes for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 327 pupils on roll. About 81% of its places were empty in 2024/25, far more than at most primary schools, so a place should be easier to come by.

Type Primary / Free schools
Age Range 3-11
Religion Unknown
Address Simmental Way
Whitehouse
Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire
MK8 1GB
Phone 01908049500
Reference Number 149470

General Makeup

Number of pupils 327
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.32%
Girls: 51.68%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 9%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 47.7%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 22.2
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 25.3
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 23.7

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 21 29 50
2 10 25 35
3 23 28 51
4 30 18 48
5 13 6 19
6 12 12 24

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
Indian 30.3%
White, British 14.4%
White, Other 9.5%
Asian, Other 7.6%
Chinese 7%
African 7%
Pakistani 4.9%
Mixed, Other 3.4%
White & Asian 1.5%
White & Black (African) 1.2%
Unclassified 0.9%
Caribbean 0.6%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.3%

Overall Ofsted Rating
Last Report Date This school has not had an inspection yet.
Date Report

Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 79 0
Third Preference 39 0
From another Local Authority 2 0

Previous years

Sample

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Watling Primary School had 119 pupils for 630 places. 511 places (81.1%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “North West Primary” planning area

Milton Keynes counted 848 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 1,093 in 2029–30, up 29%.

20242025
Places 630630
Pupils 40119
Unfilled 93.7%81.1%

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 Watling Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20242025
Authorised absence 2.0%2.8%
Unauthorised absence 1.2%1.1%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.0%

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, 1.8% of pupils at Watling Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

20242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 10.34.3
Permanent exclusions 00

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 Watling Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

202420252026
Pupils per adult 4.913.310.1
Teachers who left state teaching 9.1%11.8%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 25.0%66.7%–
Sick days per teacher 0.36.8–

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, 7.3% of pupils at Watling Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 10 1
Autistic spectrum disorder 7 0
Social, emotional and mental health 7 0

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Watling Primary School received £8,731 and spent £9,282 for each of its 164 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £52,000 (£319 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of The Alliance Schools Trust, income was £7,436 and spending £7,455 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

20242025
Revenue reserve £29,000£52,000
per pupil £992£319
In-year balance -£79,000-£90,000
per pupil -£2,713-£550

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.

Name Distance
Whitehouse Primary School
Vaynol Way, Whitehouse, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 1AG
0.48 miles
Fairfields Primary School
Apollo Avenue, Fairfields, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK11 4BA
0.49 miles
Ashbrook School
The High Street, Two Mile Ash, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 8NA
0.8 miles
Two Mile Ash School
The High Street, Two Mile Ash, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 8LH
0.95 miles
Holmwood School
Kensington Drive, Great Holm, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 9AB
1.06 miles
Christ the Sower Ecumenical Primary School
Singleton Drive, Grange Farm, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 0PZ
1.21 miles
Greenleys First School
Ardwell Lane, Greenleys, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 6AT
1.27 miles
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School
Ardwell Lane, Greenleys, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 6AY
1.29 miles
Greenleys Junior School
Marron Lane, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5DE
1.35 miles
Loughton Manor First School
Paynes Drive, Loughton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 8FA
1.48 miles
Loughton School
Bradwell Road, Loughton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 8DN
1.67 miles
Wyvern School
Aylesbury Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5HU
1.73 miles
Bushfield School
Moon Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5JG
1.77 miles
Russell Street School
Russell Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK11 1BT
1.87 miles
St Mary and St Giles Church of England School
King George Crescent, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK11 1EF
1.92 miles
Bradwell Village School
Walgrave Drive, Bradwell, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK13 9AZ
1.94 miles
Glastonbury Thorn School
Pigott Drive, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 6BX
1.96 miles
Priory Common School
Scatterill Close, Bradwell, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK13 9EZ
2.01 miles
Oxley Park Academy
Redgrave Drive, Oxley Park, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK4 4TA
2.06 miles
Heelands School
Glovers Lane, Heelands, Heelands School, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK13 7QL
2.08 miles
Name Distance
Watling Academy
Barrosa Way, Milton Keynes, MK8 1EP
0.18 miles
The Hazeley Academy
Emperor Drive, Hazeley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 0PT
1.26 miles
The Woodlands School
Admiral Drive, Hazeley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 0PU
1.27 miles
Oakhill Secure Training Centre
Chalgrove Field, Milton Keynes, MK5 6AJ
1.49 miles
Denbigh School
Burchard Crescent, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 6EX
1.6 miles
The Radcliffe School
Christchurch Grove, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5BT
1.63 miles
Slated Row School
Old Wolverton Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5NJ
1.85 miles
Redwood Park School
20 Redland Drive, Milton Keynes, MK5 8HD
2.12 miles
Shenley Brook End School
Walbank Grove, Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 7ZT
2.45 miles
Elizabeth Woodville School
Stratford Road, Deanshanger, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, MK19 6HN
2.66 miles
Stantonbury School
Purbeck, Stantonbury, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 6BN
2.75 miles
Willow Park School
8 Danbury Court, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 6LJ
3.01 miles
The Webber Independent School
3.03 miles
St Paul's Catholic School
Phoenix Drive, Leadenhall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 5EN
3.05 miles
Milton Keynes College
Chaffron Way Centre, Woughton Campus West, Leadenhall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 5LP
3.08 miles
The Milton Keynes Academy
Fulwoods Drive, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 5LA
3.12 miles
Stephenson Academy
Crosslands, Stantonbury, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK14 6AX
3.29 miles
Romans Field School
Shenley Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK3 7AW
3.64 miles
Thornton College
Convent of Jesus and Mary, Milton Keynes, MK17 0HJ
3.72 miles
The Redway School
Farmborough, Netherfield, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 4HG
3.91 miles

All schools in Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

Watling Primary School is part of The Alliance Schools Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

How many pupils does Watling Primary School have?

Watling Primary School has 327 pupils on roll.

What age range does Watling Primary School cover?

Watling Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Watling Primary School?

Watling Primary School is at Simmental Way, Whitehouse, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 1GB.

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