Living in OX26, Cherwell
What the open data says about house prices, schools, crime and flood risk around OX26 in Cherwell. Built from the same sources as every property report on this site, not opinion or marketing copy.
- Homes on the streets around central OX26 sold at a median of £295,000 across 72 recorded sales, in line with the England average of £290,000 (HM Land Registry).
- Prices across Cherwell are up 4.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
- Of the 19 schools within about 3 miles, 85% are rated Good or Outstanding, against 90% of state schools in England (Ofsted).
- The centre of OX26 is in flood zone 1 (low probability), on the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
- A Band D household in Cherwell pays £2,583 in council tax for 2026-27, every precept included (MHCLG).
- Police recorded 265 crimes within roughly a mile of the centre in August 2026, most commonly shoplifting (Police.uk).
Figures gathered 11 October 2026, each from the source named in its section.
House prices
Average price in Cherwell: £356,935, up 4.7% on a year ago (July 2026). The wider South East average is £380,878.
Check sold prices for a specific address in OX26 →
See where OX26 ranks across South East →
Council tax at Band D in Cherwell: £2,583 a year (2026-27). Running costs by postcode: council tax, energy, tenure, and the estate charge no listing shows →
Compare OX26 with another district
Sold prices, the price trend, schools, flood zone, Band D council tax and crime for OX26 against any other district, each from the source the section below names.
What actually sold around OX26
72 recorded home sales on the streets around central OX26 in the last 2 years, with a median of £295,000 and a range from £70,000 to £780,000. Mostly flats and maisonettes.
| Address | Type | Sold for | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 The Quadrangle Kings End, OX26 6HZ | Flat or maisonette | £250,000 | 10 Jul 2026 |
| Flat 7 Bell Lodge Bardwell Terrace, OX26 6RH | Flat or maisonette | £145,000 | 30 Jun 2026 |
| 5A Rowan Road, OX26 2HN | Detached | £460,000 | 18 Jun 2026 |
| Flat 28 Linden Lodge Linden Road, OX26 6GE | Flat or maisonette | £277,500 | 9 Jun 2026 |
| 8 Henley Gardens, OX26 6RJ | Semi-detached | £340,000 | 1 Jun 2026 |
| 26 The Quadrangle Kings End, OX26 6HZ | Flat or maisonette | £235,000 | 27 May 2026 |
How to read this
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Every sale of a registered property in England and Wales appears here once it completes, so the most recent weeks are always still filling in.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Schools nearby
19 schools within 3 miles , of which 85% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
| Nearest well-rated schools | Stage | Ofsted | Distance | Admitted from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bicester | Primary | Good | 0.1 mi away | no figure |
| The Bicester School | Secondary | Good | 0.2 mi away | no figure |
| Longfields Primary and Nursery School | Primary | Good | 0.3 mi away | no figure |
| Bure Park Primary School | Primary | Good | 0.6 mi away | no figure |
| St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School | Primary | Good | 0.8 mi away | 0.2 mi 2026/27 |
| Glory Farm Primary School | Primary | Good | 0.8 mi away | no figure |
Schools in OX26 with a published admission distance
How far away the last child offered a place lived, as the council published it. Tightest first; each name opens the school's page and its postcode checker.
| School | Stage | Admitted from | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School | Primary | 0.2 mi | 2026/27 |
| Chesterton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Primary | 2.26 mi | 2026/27 |
14 state primary and 3 state secondary schools within range, plus 1 fee-paying school.
Private schools
1 fee-paying school within 3 miles: Bruern Abbey School.
All 1 fee-paying schools near OX26, with ages and admissions →
Fee-paying schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted, and the ISI publishes no open data feed. That is why they carry no rating here. A missing grade means we cannot see one, not that the school was judged poorly.
What people here do for work
The most common occupations among working residents, from the 2021 Census. This is occupation rather than industry: it says what people do, not which industries employ them.
| Occupation group | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Professional occupations | 16.4% |
| Sales and customer service | 15.5% |
| Elementary occupations | 12.8% |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 12.6% |
| Skilled trades | 11.7% |
Source: ONS Census 2021, table TS063, for this district's small area.
How OX26 has changed since 2011
The biggest move: born outside the uk, up 11.4 points since 2011, with England's change beside each line.
How to read this
The census neighbourhood at the centre of OX26 (E01035735, 1,739 residents in 2021, down 5.8% on 2011) on the 2011 and 2021 censuses, with England's own change over the same decade for scale. Each line is a share of the neighbourhood's households or residents, so a growing area and a shrinking one compare fairly. The biggest move here: born outside the uk, up 11.4 points.
| Measure | 2011 | 2021 | Change | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54.6% | 46.0% | -8.6 pts | -2.0 pts |
| Households renting privately | 23.2% | 30.2% | +7.0 pts | +3.7 pts |
| Households renting socially | 19.2% | 23.0% | +3.8 pts | -0.6 pts |
| Residents under 15 | 11.7% | 9.8% | -1.9 pts | -0.3 pts |
| Residents 65 and over | 28.3% | 30.2% | +1.9 pts | +2.1 pts |
| Adults with a degree or equivalent | 29.0% | 31.1% | +2.1 pts | +6.5 pts |
| Residents born outside the UK | 16.0% | 27.4% | +11.4 pts | +3.6 pts |
| Residents in good or very good health | 74.7% | 76.5% | +1.8 pts | +0.8 pts |
| Residents in a white ethnic group | 91.7% | 84.9% | -6.8 pts | -4.4 pts |
Office for National Statistics, Census 2011 and Census 2021, Open Government Licence. A district holds many neighbourhoods; the full report for an address shows the one it sits in.
Crime
265 crimes recorded within roughly a mile of central OX26 in August 2026, most commonly shoplifting.
Flood risk
Zone 1 (low probability). This is the Environment Agency's flood zone for the area's centre point, an individual property's own risk can differ, especially near a specific watercourse.
Deprivation
This area falls in decile 5 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (moderately deprived ), based on Cherwell's figures.
Buses from the centre of OX26
Best-served stop: Queens Avenue, with 6.6 buses an hour on weekday daytimes.
Evenings, Sundays and routes
The best-served stop within 800 m of the centre of OX26 is Queens Avenue: 6.6 buses an hour on a weekday daytime, 2.5 in the evening and 2.4 on Sunday daytime; first bus 06:51, last 00:47 after midnight. Routes there: S5, 26, 21, 24. 5 stops with a scheduled service within that distance.
Departures a passenger can board, from the timetables operators publish to the Department for Transport's Bus Open Data Service, for Tuesday 8 Sep 2026 and Sunday 13 Sep 2026. Scheduled, not observed. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two stops. The full report does this for the stops within 500 m of an address.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport)
GP practices and A&E
3 GP practices within 3.0 km of the centre of OX26. The nearest, Bicester Health Centre, has 20,371 registered patients and 2,201 patients per fully qualified GP, against an England median of 2,186.
| Practice | From the centre | Patients | Per qualified GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bicester Health Centre | 0.3 mi | 20,371 | 2,201 |
| Montgomery House Surgery | 0.3 mi | 16,035 | 2,386 |
| Alchester Medical Group | 1.0 mi | 21,414 | 2,308 |
Nearest A&E: Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, where 60.7% of type 1 attendances were seen within four hours in July 2026; then Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at 70.1%.
How to read this
NHS England: patients registered at a GP practice (1 Aug 2026), the general practice workforce (July 2026), and A&E attendances by provider, monthly. Fully qualified GPs exclude trainees. Practices are matched by postcode.
Source: NHS England, monthly releases
Council tax and the council's finances
A Band D household in Cherwell pays £2,583 for 2026-27, all precepts included, a rise of 4.8% on the year before against an England median rise of 4.8%. Every band for Cherwell, and how it compares.
| Year | Band D bill | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | £2,041 | +3.4% |
| 2022-23 | £2,138 | +4.8% |
| 2023-24 | £2,243 | +4.9% |
| 2024-25 | £2,351 | +4.8% |
| 2025-26 | £2,464 | +4.8% |
| 2026-27 | £2,583 | +4.8% |
No exceptional financial support from government since 2020-21 and no section 114 notice on record for Cherwell, as at 7 Sep 2026.
How to read this
A home's own band is on its council tax bill, free to look up at gov.uk/council-tax-bands; the report shows every band's bill at the council beside the home's other checks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, live council tax tables (Band D, area averages) and the Exceptional Financial Support lists published each year; section 114 notices as published by the councils.
Source: MHCLG live council tax tables and Exceptional Financial Support lists
Common questions about OX26
What is the average house price in OX26?
The average sold price in Cherwell is £356,935 as of July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index.
Are house prices rising in OX26?
Prices in Cherwell are up 4.7% on a year ago (UK House Price Index).
What do houses actually sell for in OX26?
The median of 72 recorded sales around central OX26 in the last 2 years is £295,000, ranging from £70,000 to £780,000 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data).
Are the schools good in OX26?
19 schools sit within 3 miles of central OX26, and 85% are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted.
How much crime is there in OX26?
265 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central OX26 in August 2026, most commonly shoplifting (Police.uk).
Is OX26 at risk of flooding?
Central OX26 sits in Zone 1 (low probability) for river and sea flooding (Environment Agency). Individual addresses vary, so check the full report for a specific property.
Is OX26 a good place to live?
That depends on what you need, so here is what the official data says rather than an opinion: 85% of nearby schools are rated Outstanding or Good by Ofsted; the median home sells for £295,000; the area sits in decile 5 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation; 265 crimes were recorded within about a mile. Every one of those figures names its source on this page.
Is OX26 safe?
265 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of central OX26 in August 2026, according to Police.uk. The most common category was shoplifting. Crime counts follow how many people are around, so a busy district records more than a quiet one of the same size.
Neighbouring districts
Want the full picture for a specific property?
This page covers OX26 as a whole. For sold price history, EPC rating, exact-address crime and flood risk, school catchment areas and 30+ other checks on one specific property, search its full postcode.