Headington Rye Oxford: A Year On
Following the successful merger in September 2024, this academic year has seen Headington Rye Oxford move from a period of transition into a new era of consolidated strength and achievement.
The vision set out by the Governors to create a stable, forward thinking and affordable independent education in Oxford, is now a daily reality, with our combined community flourishing across both the Prep and Senior sites.
The academic benefits of our shared expertise were evidenced in our first set of A Level results as a merged school.
Senior School pupils achieved exceptional success, with 57% of A Level exams graded A-A* and 83% at A-B.
“As always, these fantastic results hide the tremendous amount of sheer hard work that has gone on behind the scenes from both students and staff. These girls started their A Level courses as Headington School and Rye St Antony pupils and they finish as the very first graduates of Headington Rye Oxford.”
Caroline Jordan, Headmistress
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) identified our co-curricular provision as a “significant strength”, reporting that “Leaders have developed a high-quality, broad and flexible co-curricular programme for pupils. They develop an extensive range of skills and knowledge, which enhances their physical, mental and emotional health. This provision is a significant strength of the school.” We are extremely proud of all our staff and the wider Headington Rye Community; this confidence in our provision is testament to how thoroughly embedded the programme is across the newly merged school.
September 2025 marked a significant milestone for the Prep School as we welcomed Bertrand Leullier as our new Head of Prep. Joining us from St Hugh’s, Betrand has already begun to shape the next chapter for the 12-acre former-Rye site.
The strategic consolidation of our schools continues to provide the stability needed for long-term growth. By making the best use of our two larger sites, we have maintained our charitable status while providing an unrivalled choice of subjects, including 30 A Level options and specialist pathways like the BTEC in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. This academic provision is underpinned by a steadfast commitment to the individual, ensuring that the nurturing environment and attentive pastoral care for which our founding schools were so well known, remains central to our mission.
As the ISI inspectors observed, Headington Rye Oxford has