St Birinus School
85%
Capacity
1,212
Pupils
1.4x
Demand
About St Birinus School
St Birinus School, a boys’ secondary in South Oxfordshire, was rated Good by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in 2025, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. The single most telling exam metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.36, which places it in the top 25 per cent of schools nationally and well above the local authority average of -0.07. This means pupils at St Birinus make significantly more academic progress between age 11 and 16 than their peers across Oxfordshire. The school ranks 9th out of 46 state secondaries in the LA, and sits 5th out of 11 schools in the South Oxfordshire district. Its Attainment 8 score of 50 and EBacc average point score of 4.55 reinforce a picture of solid, above-average outcomes. The sixth form also performs well, with a value-added score of 0.19 and a B- average grade across the best three A-levels.
Breaking down the Progress 8 figure, the school’s strongest subject area is maths, with a progress score of 0.52, while English sits at just 0.01. The EBacc element, which measures progress across the core academic subjects, comes in at 0.59. Just under a third of pupils (31.3 per cent) achieved the EBacc at grade 4 or above, and 45.2 per cent entered for it. At A-level, the sixth form’s progress banding is rated ‘Above average’, with 18.1 per cent of entries achieving AAB or higher. The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 317 applications for 234 places, with 210 first-preference offers made. Parents are broadly positive — 82 per cent would recommend the school, and 88 per cent agree or strongly agree that their child is happy there.
St Birinus has a wide range of facilities, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a sports hall, music rooms, art studios, and a dedicated sixth form centre. It offers clubs such as choir, chess, science club, film club, Young Enterprise, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, debate, newspaper, and Model UN. Sports on offer include athletics, basketball, dance, rounders, football, and rugby. The school provides support for a broad spectrum of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With 16.6 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. It suits families who want a boys’ school with strong academic progress, a well-regarded sixth form, and a good range of extracurricular opportunities, all within a commutable distance from Didcot and surrounding areas.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 18 years |
| Gender | Boys |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Mereland Road, Didcot, South Oxfordshire, OX11 8AZ |
| Headteacher | William Manning |
| Local Authority | Oxfordshire |
| Number of Pupils | 1,212 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 16.6% |
| School Capacity | 1,212 / 1,428 (85% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
4 Feb 2025Quality of Education
Good
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 17 Mar 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (+0.36)
731st of 3,141
Nationally
115th of 461
In South East
5th of 11
In South Oxfordshire
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make more progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
A-Level Results
2023/24Average Points per Entry
Value Added Score
Best 3 A-Levels (Average)
'21/22
38.3
'22/23
37.0
'23/24
35.7
Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/2342%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 170 pupils).
- School sixth form (stay)42%
- FE college35%
- Employment9%
- Apprenticeship5%
- Sixth form college4%
- Not sustained4%
95% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Where school leavers go
2022/2355%
of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 66 pupils).
Top-tier university progression
38%
Russell Group
46%
Top-third HE
2%
Oxford / Cambridge
Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.
- University (HE)55%
- Employment30%
- Apprenticeship9%
Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.
Sixth form A-level subjects
2022/23- Mathematics25
- Computer Studies / Computing23
- Biology13
- Economics12
- Business Studies:Single8
- History8
- Psychology8
- Sociology8
- Physics6
- Chemistry5
- English Language and Literature5
- Geography5
Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.
Ofsted Parent View
230 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
12Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
15Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed234
317
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
210 families put this school as their 1st choice (66% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Below the national average (25%).
Above the national median (10%) — a meaningful share speak English as an additional language.
Ethnic background
- White British75.2%
- White (other)8.2%
- Asian5.9%
- Mixed5.7%
- Black0.3%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
10
Total schools
9
Oversubscribed
7
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About St Birinus School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Mereland Road, Didcot
South Oxfordshire, OX11 8AZ
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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