Whitelands Academy

About Whitelands Academy

Whitelands Academy, a mixed secondary school in Cherwell for pupils aged 11 to 16, was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023. The inspection gave the school a particularly strong mark for personal development, which was judged Outstanding. This is a notable achievement, especially given that only four out of 46 secondary schools in Oxfordshire hold an Outstanding rating overall. The school’s leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and quality of education were all rated Good. With 575 pupils on roll against a capacity of 600, the school is operating close to full. The headteacher, Adrian Cush, leads a school where 18.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average, and the school does not have a sixth form, meaning students leave at 16.

Academic outcomes at Whitelands Academy are best understood through its Progress 8 score, which is the most informative exam metric available. The school’s Progress 8 score is not provided in the data, but the local authority average for Oxfordshire is -0.07, meaning pupils in the area typically perform slightly below the national average. Whitelands’ Ofsted report notes that the quality of education is Good, and the school’s personal development rating of Outstanding suggests a strong focus on character and resilience. Without specific exam results or a ranking score, it is difficult to compare Whitelands directly with top local peers like The Cherwell School or Didcot Girls’ School, which have higher ranking scores. However, the school’s Good rating across most Ofsted categories indicates a solid academic foundation, and the Outstanding personal development mark points to a school that prioritises broader student growth.

The school is oversubscribed, with 283 applications for 109 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving a ratio of 2.6 applicants per place. Of those, 105 first-preference applicants were offered places, meaning most successful families had Whitelands as their top choice. The school offers a wide range of facilities, including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, music rooms, art studios, and an ICT suite. Sports on offer include rowing, martial arts, and dance, alongside more traditional options like netball and cricket. Clubs include Young Enterprise, drama, and a newspaper club. The school’s SEND provisions are extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language issues, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, with a resourced provision available. This makes Whitelands a strong choice for families seeking a secondary school with good behaviour and a supportive environment, particularly those with children who have additional needs.

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