Shepherdswell Academy

About Shepherdswell Academy

Shepherdswell Academy is a small state primary school in Milton Keynes, serving children from age 2 to 7, and it currently holds a Good rating from Ofsted. Within the local authority, it sits among 89 primary schools, with 13 of those rated Outstanding. The top-performing peers in the area, according to ranking scores, are Caroline Haslett Primary School (92), Middleton Primary School (87), and Haversham Village School (86). The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Middleton Primary, just 1.4 kilometres away. Shepherdswell is noticeably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 45 applications for just 24 places, with all 24 first-preference offers accepted. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.88, suggesting strong local demand for this infant-phase school. Headteacher Zoe McIntyre leads a school with 115 pupils against a capacity of 180, so there is room to grow, but the competition for places is already fierce.

Academically, Shepherdswell’s most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023 rated overall effectiveness as Good, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2010. The breakdown shows Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision. The standout area is personal development, which was rated Outstanding. This suggests the school places a strong emphasis on how children grow as individuals, not just on academic results. The data does not include specific KS2 SATs results for Shepherdswell, so it is not possible to compare its attainment directly against the Milton Keynes local authority average of 62. However, the school’s Good rating across most categories indicates a solid standard of teaching and learning. With only 19.2 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively less disadvantaged cohort than some in the area, which may contribute to its popularity among local families.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including an ICT suite, library, art studios, playing fields, and a forest school, which supports outdoor learning. Sports on offer include gymnastics, rounders, cricket, netball, and athletics, while clubs extend to art, chess, gardening, coding, drama, and book club. For children with additional needs, the school provides support for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is nursery provision for the youngest children, and the school is non-denominational with no religious character. Given its oversubscription and strong local reputation, Shepherdswell Academy is best suited to families living within its catchment area who want a Good-rated infant school with a strong personal development focus and a wide range of enrichment activities. Those outside the immediate area may find it difficult to secure a place.

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