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Olney Buckinghamshire 1Photo: PaleCloudedWhite · CC BY-SA 4.0
BSchool Grade
Schools in Olney · DfE, Ofsted

Olney’s state schools get better results than 60% of towns in England

2 state-funded schools are located in Olney’s built-up area. Olney grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #25 of 39 in Buckinghamshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
2
2 primary, 0 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
63%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

School Grade

Olney grades B for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (63% meet the standard)Better than 58% of towns in England

Olney has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 2 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (350 pupils in results). No secondary school with GCSE results is in or within 3 km of Olney, so its grade uses its primary schools only. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.

Map

Where Olney’s 2 state schools are

Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Olney’s built-up area.

PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter

Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.

Getting a place

How school places work in Olney

Milton Keynes Council handles applications for every state school in Olney, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.

Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.

When a school is full

Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.

Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

Olney Infant92%
Olney Middle87%

DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.

The schools

2 state schools in Olney

Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.

Letters of Olney’s schoolsA 0B 1C 0D 01 without a letter

Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.

Ofsted

Ofsted inspections

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Olney’s 2 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.

Towns its size

162nd of 430 English towns of 5,000 to 9,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Olney, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Bowdon Greater ManchesterA+83%78.499%
…
158Hebden Bridge West YorkshireB61%49.550%
159Chipping Sodbury GloucestershireB62%48.849%
160Shipston-on-Stour WarwickshireB72%43.336%
161Tarleton and Hesketh Bank LancashireB70%42.539%
162Olney BuckinghamshireB63%——
163Godmanchester CambridgeshireB66%4543%
164Easington County DurhamB66%44.743%
165Whitworth LancashireB63%4548%
166Easingwold North YorkshireB56%53.261%
…
430Amble NorthumberlandD−35%32.716%
Neighbours

Olney and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

Lavendon: BBozeat: A+Newport Pagnell: CHarrold: A−Hanslope: B−Hartwell: A+Cogenhoe: A−LavendonBozeatNewport PagnellHarroldHanslopeHartwellCogenhoeOlney
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Olney
2 schools
B63%—
Lavendon
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.1 mi
B63%—
Bozeat
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi
A+80%—
Newport Pagnell
5 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.1 mi
C59%42.7
Harrold
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.2 mi
A−66%—
Hanslope
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6 mi
B−62%—
Hartwell
0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 6.1 mi
A+73%—
Cogenhoe
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6.6 mi
A−65%53.3

Bozeat has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
  • Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Olney: 4% (England’s average school: 8%).
  • Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
  • Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
  • Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
  • Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
  • Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
  • Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.

Questions about schools in Olney

Are schools in Olney good?

Olney’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 58% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Milton Keynes council.

How do I apply for a school place in Olney?

Through Milton Keynes Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).

How many state schools are in Olney?

2 open state-funded schools are located in Olney’s built-up area: 2 primary, 0 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.