Furze Down School

Special school · All-through, ages 4 to 19 · Mixed · Sixth form

Verney Road, Winslow, Buckingham, MK18 3BL

01296 711380 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedOutstandingInspected 27 March 2014; confirmed 2024
Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%England 45% · 2024/25
Pupils223Room for 220 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 167 in 2019, 183 in 2021, 189 in 2022, 193 in 2023, 210 in 2024, 219 in 2025, 223 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals32%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at the inspection that started on 27 March 2014.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationOutstanding
Outcomes for pupilsOutstanding
Leadership and managementOutstanding

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 21 February 2024: Ofsted found the school was still Outstanding.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

62 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 1 January 2024 and 6 January 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 94% 88%
My child feels safe at this school 90% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 89% 84%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOf 17 parents whose child had been bullied 59% 50%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 46 parents who had raised a concern 87% 76%
I would recommend this school to another parent 90%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families. Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

13 pupils in this year group.

0% — 65 points below the Buckinghamshire average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBuckinghamshireEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 65% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 11% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 80% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 73% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 76% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 107 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 106 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

22 pupils in this year group.

0% — 59 points below the Buckinghamshire average, and 45 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBuckinghamshireEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 0% 59% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. 1.9 53.4 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. 0.1 4.8 4.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% England 2022/23: 45%England 2023/24: 46%England 2024/25: 45% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 45% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

20 pupils in this year group.

100% — 5 points above the Buckinghamshire average, and 8 points above the England average.

MeasureThis schoolBuckinghamshireEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 100% 95% 92%
School sixth form 0% 61% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 5% 13%
Further education college 25% 22% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 2% 3%
Work 0% 2% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
100%100%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Buckinghamshire. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in Buckinghamshire

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Speech, language and communication needs; Autism.

PupilsThis schoolBuckinghamshireEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 34.2% 38.6%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 100.0%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.0%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 3.7% 14.9%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 13.5% 13.6%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 34.6% 37.0%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 4.1 19.0 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 3.7% 6.9% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.22% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 6.7 6.1 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.1 2.2 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 10.6% 18.6%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Questions parents ask

What is Furze Down School's Ofsted rating?

Furze Down School was rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its inspection in 27 March 2014. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 21 February 2024, Ofsted found the school was still Outstanding.

How did Furze Down School do in its GCSEs?

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils grade 5 or above in English and maths, 45 points below the England average of 45%.

Would parents recommend Furze Down School?

90% of the 62 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 1 January 2024 and 6 January 2025 said they would recommend Furze Down School to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.