Data profile
Independent co-ed all-through school in Oxfordshire for ages 4–18, day or boarding. Selective entry.
01 · Module
Where leavers go after sixth form.
Class of 2025
02 · Module
A-level top grades and GCSE 9–7, post-2026 methodology recalibration.
Recalibrated
03 · Module
Ages, deadlines and annual fees per route.
| Entry | Year | Places | Assessment | Day fee (max) | Boarding fee (max) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11+ | Year 7 | — | School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report | £28.5k | £58.1k |
| 11+ (First Year)MAIN | Year 7 | — | School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report | £28.5k | £58.1k |
| 13+ | Year 9 | — | School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report | £28.5k | £58.1k |
| 16+ | Lower Sixth | — | School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report | £28.5k | £58.1k |
| 16+ (Sixth Form)MAIN | Lower Sixth | — | School's own exam · Interview · Reference / report | £28.5k | £58.1k |
04 · Module
Composite score blending owned data with external consensus.
Index score
72
/ 100
National rank #51
05 · Module
Latest inspection rating and report.
ISI
Meets expectations
Inspected 2024-07-02
06 · Module
Head, senior leadership and governance.
Head
Michael Windsor
Head of Abingdon since September 2016. BA First in German with French from Durham University. Previously Headmaster of Reading Blue Coat School and Deputy Head of Royal Grammar School Guildford.
Senior Deputy Head
Graeme May
Read English at Oxford. Previously Head of Drama and Deputy Head of English at St Paul's School. Appointed Senior Deputy Head in 2023.
Deputy Head (Pastoral) & Designated Safeguarding Lead
Helen Keevil
Exeter graduate in Modern Foreign Languages. Joined from Epsom College. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead.
Deputy Head (Educational Development)
Ronnie Reading
Degree in French and Linguistics from University of Leeds. Joined Abingdon in 2017. Previously senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes.
Director Of Finance And Operations
Justin Hodges
MEng Oxford, MSc Management Studies. Previously at Vodafone for 12 years and Goldman Sachs. Director of Finance & Operations since 2015.
Director Of External Relations
Jossie Austen
History of Art at University of St Andrews, MA Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art. Joined Abingdon as Director of External Relations in 2024.
07 · Module
Houseroom's view of the school.
Head Mike Windsor has led the school for nine years. He is passionate about blending academic rigour with 'The Other Half' — Abingdon's name for co- and extracurricular life. The school is known locally as one that knows how to have fun. Windsor sees the transition to co-education as an exciting opportunity, believing there are girls who will thrive in the quality of teaching and expansive environment on offer.
Class sizes are capped at 24 (16 in practical subjects) and often smaller; A-level classes never exceed 18. There are no early exams; the school focuses on stretch and challenge rather than racing through the curriculum. At GCSE, all pupils take a minimum of 10 subjects. At A-level, 25 subjects are available including business and philosophy; pupils start with four (five if taking further maths) and may drop to three. In 2025, 90% of A-level grades were A*–B, with 70% at A*–A; 86% of GCSE grades were 9–7. Almost all pupils go to their first-choice university; in 2024, 11 gained Oxbridge places and more than 15 went to Durham, Bristol and Exeter.
Pupil wellbeing is managed through small tutor groups and house communal spaces with pool and table football. There is an on-site counselling service. The existing PHSE and RSE programme is being reviewed to ensure it serves girls as well as boys ahead of co-education. About 10% of pupils board, split across three mixed boarding/day houses; seventh houses are exclusively for day pupils. Boarding houses have recently been refurbished to include single study bedrooms for sixth-formers. Boarding for girls will not be offered initially but will be reviewed before the first cohort reaches Year 9.
08 · Module
The schools a family applying here would also be considering — chosen by sex, boarding, entry phase, geography, fees, tier and outcomes, with an admissions-adviser AI re-rank.
Kingston Grammar School is a selective boys' day school with similar fees (£29.4k) and a reasonable commute (74km) from Abingdon, overlapping in entry phases 11+ and 13+.
Surbiton High School is a co-educational day school with a Christian ethos, similar fees (£26.9k), and located 74km from Abingdon, overlapping in entry phases 11+ and 13+.
Oxford High School GDST is a selective girls' day school in Oxfordshire with lower fees (£24.4k), close proximity (11km), and overlapping entry phases 11+ and 13+.
Downe House is a girls' day and boarding school with selective entry, overlapping entry phases 11+ and 13+, and located 26km from Abingdon, though fees are higher (£33.6k).
Hampton School is a selective boys' day school with similar fees (£29.9k), overlapping entry phases 11+ and 13+, and located 69km from Abingdon.
Peers refreshed annually plus on-write. Filters: sex, boarding, entry phase, geography, fee band, tier. Scoring: 0.45 outcome similarity + 0.25 structured + 0.10 embedding + 0.20 AI re-rank.
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