Aureus School
Academy sponsor led · 531 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.7
Academy sponsor led
The Bicester School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,176of 1,430 places
- Free school meals
- 17.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 204
- Ofsted
- Good, 12 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Bicester Community College (URN 123233, until 28 April 2015).
What the data says
Of the 254 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Bicester School in 2023, 35% stayed on in The Bicester School’s own sixth form (Oxfordshire average 45%), 43% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 65 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 51% went to university (Oxfordshire 28%, England 37%), and 10% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Fine Art is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 9% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.9 against 46.1 across England and 46.4 in Oxfordshire, with 49% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 Bicester School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 254 | 6,906 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 35% | 45% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | 4% | 13% |
| — further education college | 43% | 34% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 Bicester School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 65 | 8,583 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 51% | 28% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 10% | 18% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 28% | 38% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Bicester School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.9 | 46.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 49% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 66% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 45% | 37% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.37 | 4.14 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 12% | 20% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.0 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 49.4 | 50.0 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 19% | 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 | 203 | 100% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 73% |
| Mathematics | 203 | 100% | 88% | 28% | 22% | 71% |
| English Literature | 199 | 98% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 166 | 81% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 61% |
| History | 113 | 55% | 41% | 19% | 26% | 58% |
| Geography | 103 | 50% | 41% | 29% | 25% | 64% |
| Business Studies | 77 | 38% | 18% | 25% | 20% | 65% |
| Spanish | 73 | 36% | 19% | 26% | 27% | 66% |
| Fine Art | 48 | 24% | 9% | 19% | 28% | 71% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 35 | 17% | 8% | 14% | 21% | 49% |
| Biology | 33 | 16% | 23% | 79% | 45% | 97% |
| Physics | 32 | 16% | 23% | 88% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 32 | 16% | 23% | 75% | 47% | 100% |
| Graphic Communication | 22 | 11% | 1% | 0% | 23% | 68% |
| Physical Education | 19 | 9% | 11% | 21% | 24% | 89% |
| Computer Science | 18 | 9% | 13% | 33% | 30% | 94% |
| French | 14 | 7% | 18% | 43% | 29% | 71% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 5% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 82% |
| Drama | 7 | 3% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 100% |
| Chinese | 5 | 2% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Polish | 4 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Portuguese | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Music | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 41 | 68% | — |
| Health Studies | 39 | 65% | — |
| Multimedia | 39 | 65% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 27 | 45% | — |
| Tourism | 17 | 28% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 13 | 22% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 8 | 13% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Bicester School | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 196 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 60 | 3,707 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.25 | 33.46 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 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 | 19 | 32% | 31% |
| Psychology | 14 | 23% | 23% |
| Economics | 13 | 22% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 12 | 20% | 17% |
| Physics | 12 | 20% | 12% |
| Biology | 11 | 18% | 20% |
| Religious Studies | 8 | 13% | 4% |
| English Literature | 8 | 13% | 11% |
| Geography | 8 | 13% | 10% |
| Sociology | 8 | 13% | 13% |
| History | 8 | 13% | 13% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 12% | 3% |
| English Language and Literature | 6 | 10% | 2% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 10% | 3% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 27% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 16 | 27% | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 22% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 15% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 7 | 12% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 10% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Oxfordshire
Bartholomew School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,390 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.0
Blessed George Napier Catholic School and Sixth Form
Academy converter · sixth form · 943 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.5
Burford School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,452 pupils
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.