Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #24 in Oxfordshire public Top 24% UK

John Mason School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Alastair West

corporate_fareABINGDON LEARNING TRUST

location_onAbingdon, OX14 1JB

language Visit Website phone 1235524664

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

groups

Students

1,031

trending_up

Attainment 8

44.5

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GCSE Rank

#26 in Oxfordshire

#1,824 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

John Mason School is a Academy converter secondary school in Abingdon, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

John Mason School is an academy converter in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ABINGDON LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 995 pupils on roll, of whom 24% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.5, placing the school #26 in Oxfordshire and #1,824 of 3,216 nationally. 41.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 19.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 23 A-level subjects. 36.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 19.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.21 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 15.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

41.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)19.7%

Entering EBacc58.10%

EBacc APS4.14

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.52

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32.50%

EBacc APS3.51

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS3.95

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.23

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS4.37

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.06

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS4.02

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc33%

EBacc APS3.95

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.21

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.3%

Achieving A*–A19.2%

Achieving A*–B36.5%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate89.3%

A-level subjects offered23

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.1

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate90.60%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate87.80%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate96.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 December 2024

Inspection Report

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21 May 2019

Inspection Report

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31 January 2017

Inspection Report

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06 February 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2019-05-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2017-01-31

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-11-16

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

14.8%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

6.3%(63 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 995 pupils. During this period, there were 147 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 14.8%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	995	147	14.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	994	161	16.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,033	141	13.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,043	152	14.6%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,045	96	9.2%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,027	108	10.5%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,031	72	7.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,042	54	5.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,050	69	6.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,056	49	4.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,065	45	4.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,066	26	2.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,058	4	0.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,058	26	2.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,006	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,006	18	1.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,006	39	3.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	954	35	3.7%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	957	17	1.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	954	10	1.0%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	967	14	1.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	972	28	2.9%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	979	40	4.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	959	25	2.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	961	30	3.1%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	969	40	4.1%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 67 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 59 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 51 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 7 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 6 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 3 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

66.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

67.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

19.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree11%

agree38%

disagree25%

strongly disagree14%

don't know13%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree17%

agree40%

disagree28%

strongly disagree12%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree19%

agree27%

disagree15%

strongly disagree20%

don't know3%

not applicable15%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes37%

no63%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree4%

agree21%

disagree34%

strongly disagree34%

dont know7%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree20%

agree42%

disagree23%

strongly disagree8%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree18%

agree50%

disagree17%

strongly disagree13%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree23%

agree45%

disagree17%

strongly disagree14%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree32%

agree54%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

don't know7%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree30%

agree61%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree20%

agree39%

disagree18%

strongly disagree15%

don't know8%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes52%

no48%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Oxfordshire

Gillotts School

Didcot Girls' School

The Cherwell School

Langtree School

Matthew Arnold School

The Swan School