St Leonard's Church of England Primary School

Cherwell · OX16 4SB

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 336 pupils, 26.8% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit · 15.8% on SEN support Behaviour 6.3% absence rate Staff 10% turnover Financials £6,697 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St Leonard's Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Overthorpe Road, Banbury, OX16 4SB – View on map
Phone: 01295262507
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Caroline Debus
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 46 families put it first for 45 places – 10 for every 10 places. 98% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

336 pupils out of 420 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 84
% eligible for free school meals: 26.8%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (more mixed than the Cherwell average)
English as an additional language: 51% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10% a year (Cherwell 14.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 0% moved to another school, 100% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Oxfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 9 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 18 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 2 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Oxfordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.3%
Persistently absent pupils: 17.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for Profound and multiple learning difficulties 11 places · 11 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.7%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 24 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Vision impairment: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card April 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 44% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 18 percentage points below the Cherwell average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 51% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 51%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 60% · Writing 64% · Maths 51% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 64%
Average test scores: reading 101, maths 100
Based on: 45 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolCherwell averageEngland↘ Falling Down 13 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 18 percentage points below the Cherwell average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 47th of 49 junior and primary schools in the area

=43St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Banbury47%
#46Five Acres Primary School45%
#47St Leonard's Church of England Primary School44%
=48Bishop Carpenter Church of England Primary School43%
=48St John's Catholic Primary School43%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Cropredy Church of England Primary School91%
#2The Grange Community Primary School89%
#3Finmere Church of England Primary School88%
#4Fritwell Church of England Primary School86%
#5Dr Radcliffe's Church of England Primary School83%
=6Dr South's Church of England Primary School82%
=6Orchard Fields Community School82%
#8St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Kidlington81%
#9West Kidlington Primary and Nursery School76%
=10Deddington Church of England Primary School75%
=10Launton Church of England Primary School75%
#12Queensway School74%
=13Hook Norton Church of England Primary School71%
=13William Morris Primary School71%
#15Hardwick Primary School and Nursery70%
=16Bure Park Primary School69%
=16Hornton Primary School69%
=16Wroxton Church of England Primary School69%
=19Dashwood Banbury Academy68%
=19Heyford Park School68%
=21Fringford Church of England Primary School67%
=21Shenington Church of England Primary School67%
=21Sibford Gower Endowed Primary School67%
#24Longford Park Primary School65%
#25St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School64%
#26Chesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School63%
=27Harriers Banbury Academy60%
=27King's Meadow Primary School60%
=27Southwold Primary School60%
=30Brookside Primary School58%
=30Christopher Rawlins Church of England Primary School58%
=30William Fletcher Primary School58%
=33Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School56%
=33Hill View Primary School56%
#35Glory Farm Primary School55%
#36North Kidlington Primary School54%
#37Langford Village Community Primary School52%
#38Bishop Loveday Church of England Primary School51%
=39Bloxham Church of England Primary School50%
=39Charlton-on-Otmoor Church of England Primary School50%
=39St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Banbury50%
#42Hanwell Fields Community School48%
=43Gagle Brook Primary School47%
=43Longfields Primary and Nursery School47%
=43St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Banbury47%
#46Five Acres Primary School45%
#47St Leonard's Church of England Primary School44%
=48Bishop Carpenter Church of England Primary School43%
=48St John's Catholic Primary School43%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,697 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

27th of 53 primary schools in Cherwell for spending per pupil

#25Hill View Primary School£6,722
#26St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School£6,697
#27St Leonard's Church of England Primary School£6,697
#28Bure Park Primary School£6,660
#29William Fletcher Primary School£6,654

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Finmere Church of England Primary School£10,147
#2Charlton-on-Otmoor Church of England Primary School£9,470
#3Graven Hill Primary School£9,448
#4Wroxton Church of England Primary School£9,412
#5Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School£8,941
#6Sibford Gower Endowed Primary School£8,535
#7Dr South's Church of England Primary School£8,490
#8Fringford Church of England Primary School£8,101
#9Gagle Brook Primary School£8,042
#10Shenington Church of England Primary School£7,839
#11Launton Church of England Primary School£7,662
#12St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Banbury£7,436
#13Orchard Fields Community School£7,402
#14Five Acres Primary School£7,359
#15Hanwell Fields Community School£7,334
#16Fritwell Church of England Primary School£7,213
#17Hook Norton Church of England Primary School£7,144
#18Brookside Primary School£7,137
#19Cherry Fields Primary School£6,988
#20William Morris Primary School£6,802
#21Hornton Primary School£6,791
#22Dr Radcliffe's Church of England Primary School£6,767
#23Cropredy Church of England Primary School£6,765
#24Kirtlington Church of England Primary School£6,760
#25Hill View Primary School£6,722
#26St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School£6,697
#27St Leonard's Church of England Primary School£6,697
#28Bure Park Primary School£6,660
#29William Fletcher Primary School£6,654
#30Bloxham Church of England Primary School£6,647
#31St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Banbury£6,623
#32Longfields Primary and Nursery School£6,600
#33Bishop Carpenter Church of England Primary School£6,535
#34North Kidlington Primary School£6,483
#35King's Meadow Primary School£6,370
#36Chesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,332
#37Longford Park Primary School£6,264
#38The Grange Community Primary School£6,193
#39Queensway School£6,186
#40Hardwick Primary School and Nursery£6,091
#41Deddington Church of England Primary School£6,019
#42West Kidlington Primary and Nursery School£6,018
#43Southwold Primary School£5,997
#44Langford Village Community Primary School£5,959
#45Harriers Banbury Academy£5,860
#46Bishop Loveday Church of England Primary School£5,679
#47Christopher Rawlins Church of England Primary School£5,619
#48St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Kidlington£5,496
#49Dashwood Banbury Academy£5,483
#50Glory Farm Primary School£5,459
#51St John's Catholic Primary School£5,417
#52St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bicester£4,147
#53Edward Feild Primary School£3,570

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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