Aureus School
Academy sponsor led · 531 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.7
Academy converter
The Cooper School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,118of 1,333 places
- Free school meals
- 13.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 220
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 25 February 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Cooper School (URN 123234, until 1 July 2014).
What the data says
Of the 217 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Cooper School in 2023, 43% stayed on in The Cooper School’s own sixth form (Oxfordshire average 45%), 35% went to a further education college and 8% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 105 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 62% went to university (Oxfordshire 28%, England 37%), and 30% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 8% of leavers started one, roughly twice the England figure of 3%.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 31% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Oxfordshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Cooper School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 217 | 6,906 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 79% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 43% | 45% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | 4% | 13% |
| — further education college | 35% | 34% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 0% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Cooper School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 105 | 8,583 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 62% | 28% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 30% | 18% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 23% | 38% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Cooper School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.7 | 46.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 66% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 19% | 37% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.59 | 4.14 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 20% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 27.2 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 44.4 | 50.0 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 13% | 16% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 214 | 97% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 66% |
| Mathematics | 214 | 97% | 88% | 13% | 22% | 70% |
| English Literature | 210 | 95% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 66% |
| Combined Science | 130 | 59% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 42% |
| History | 109 | 50% | 41% | 14% | 26% | 50% |
| Geography | 94 | 43% | 41% | 16% | 25% | 54% |
| Biology | 85 | 39% | 23% | 21% | 45% | 94% |
| Physics | 85 | 39% | 23% | 27% | 46% | 94% |
| Chemistry | 85 | 39% | 23% | 28% | 47% | 96% |
| Design and Technology | 69 | 31% | 11% | 4% | 23% | 26% |
| Psychology | 55 | 25% | 3% | 9% | 22% | 60% |
| Business Studies | 50 | 23% | 18% | 6% | 20% | 70% |
| Fine Art | 47 | 21% | 9% | 15% | 28% | 64% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 44 | 20% | 8% | 20% | 21% | 73% |
| Physical Education | 43 | 20% | 11% | 2% | 24% | 53% |
| Sociology | 27 | 12% | 4% | 15% | 21% | 70% |
| Spanish | 26 | 12% | 19% | 23% | 27% | 65% |
| Economics | 25 | 11% | 1% | 16% | 34% | 76% |
| Media Studies | 22 | 10% | 4% | 18% | 20% | 45% |
| Drama | 13 | 6% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 23% |
| French | 12 | 5% | 18% | 17% | 29% | 67% |
| Photography | 11 | 5% | 6% | 9% | 19% | 73% |
| Textiles | 9 | 4% | 2% | 11% | 27% | 56% |
| Computer Science | 8 | 4% | 13% | 38% | 30% | 63% |
| Chinese | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 1 | 0% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 43 | 40% | — |
| Sports Studies | 41 | 38% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 39 | 36% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 12 | 11% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Cooper School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 206 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 108 | 3,707 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.95 | 33.46 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 2% | 16% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 30 | 28% | 31% |
| Biology | 25 | 23% | 20% |
| Psychology | 24 | 22% | 23% |
| Media Studies | 23 | 21% | 4% |
| Fine Art | 18 | 17% | 3% |
| Business Studies | 18 | 17% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 16 | 15% | 17% |
| History | 16 | 15% | 13% |
| English Literature | 14 | 13% | 11% |
| English Language and Literature | 14 | 13% | 2% |
| Sociology | 14 | 13% | 13% |
| Physics | 14 | 13% | 12% |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 12% | 4% |
| Geography | 13 | 12% | 10% |
| Economics | 10 | 9% | 13% |
| Politics | 8 | 7% | 6% |
| Product Design | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 17 | 16% | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 9% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 6% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Oxfordshire
Bartholomew School
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88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.0
Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth Form
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89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.5
Burford School
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85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.4
Carterton Community College
Community school · sixth form · 774 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.8
Cheney School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,706 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.