Dagnall VA Church of England School

About Dagnall VA Church of England School

Dagnall VA Church of England School is a small primary tucked away in Buckinghamshire, and its intake figures tell a story of a school that families clearly want to get into. With just 48 pupils on roll against a capacity of 116, the school is operating at less than half its potential size, yet it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, receiving 31 applications for just 10 places. That is an oversubscription ratio of 3.1, and all 10 first-preference offers were taken up, suggesting strong local demand despite the small cohort. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 12.5%, which is below the national average for primary schools, indicating a relatively less deprived intake compared with the wider population. The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school, so its religious character may be a factor for some families, though the data doesn't specify how this affects admissions criteria.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024 rated it Good across all categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This is a consistent rating compared with its previous inspection in 2018, which also judged overall effectiveness as Good. However, the school's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year are notably low when benchmarked against the local authority. Only 22% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Buckinghamshire LA average of 64%. This places the school 136th out of 137 primaries in the county, and in the bottom 1% nationally. Individual subject scores are mixed: 56% reached the expected standard in reading and writing, but just 33% did so in maths. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 100 in maths, both around the national average, so the cohort size of just nine pupils may be skewing the headline figures.

The school offers a range of facilities including an outdoor playground, library, art studios, playing fields and a chapel, plus sports such as athletics, football and netball. There is a nursery provision for younger children, and the school supports pupils with a variety of special educational needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Clubs include gardening, book club, drama, eco club, choir and chess, which suggests a broad enrichment offer despite the small roll. This is a school that will suit families who value a close-knit, church-affiliated setting and are comfortable with its rural location, but those prioritising strong academic outcomes at KS2 may want to look at the local context carefully, especially given the high demand for places relative to the school's small size.

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