SCHOOL PROFILE

John Mason School

Secondary Academy converter URN 140580
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,040 Published school capacity
Capacity used 89.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

11 December 2024
Latest published outcome Some aspects not as strong
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Oxfordshire
Trust ABINGDON LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 927 927 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 415 44.8% of pupils
Male pupils 512 55.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

13.5%
11.3 pts below England
School 13.5%
Vale of White Horse 12.6%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

16.9%
3.4 pts below England
School 16.9%
Vale of White Horse 10.6%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

2.0%
1.0 pts above England
School 2.0%
Vale of White Horse 1.9%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
67.7%
628
Any other White background
8.1%
75
African
4.4%
41
Any other Asian background
2.6%
24
Any other ethnic group
2.6%
24
Any other Mixed background
2.2%
20
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 19.5% 181 of 927 pupils
1.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.5%
Vale of White Horse 23.5%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 15.3% 142 pupils
England 14.8% 0.5 pts above
EHC plans 4.2% 39 pupils
England 6.0% 1.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Other difficulty or disability 60
Specific learning difficulty 42
Social, emotional & mental health 40
Autistic spectrum disorder 16
Moderate learning difficulty 6
Physical disability 4

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

44.5 5.3 pts above England
School 44.5
Vale of White Horse 39.7
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 41.9% England 36.0% 5.9 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 58.7% England 51.4% 7.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 58.1% England 30.6% 27.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.14 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.52 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

13.52%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

7.30 pts higher than England
School 13.52%
Vale of White Horse 6.13%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

31.29%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

15.48 pts higher than England
School 31.29%
Vale of White Horse 14.71%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

9.80%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

8.00 pts higher than England
School 9.80%
Vale of White Horse 2.05%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

89.1% 3.2 pts below England
John Mason School
89.1%
Vale of White Horse
87.1%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information