Fossdene Primary School

Fossdene Primary School is performing well overall. This full inspection found safeguarding standards met and strong practice in curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. The school has a highly inclusive, nurturing ethos, with a well-sequenced curriculum, strong phonics and reading, effective SEND provision including a new resourced provision for autistic pupils, and positive relationships. By the end of Year 6, pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above national averages. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, and early years were judged at expected standard rather than strong. Many children start Reception with low starting points, and over half do not typically achieve a good level of development by Year 1; many Year 1 pupils also do not pass the phonics screening check. The outdoor early years space does not consistently support phonics and number application, and staff interactions sometimes lack sharp focus on precise vocabulary and intended learning. Attendance is now in line with national averages and persistent absence is below average, with behaviour improved. The school context includes a reduction to one-form entry, no nursery, and leadership restructuring following its previous inspection. It is part of a federation with Cherry Orchard Primary School and established a resourced provision in September 2025. Leaders are committed and effective, with clear priorities for improvement. Next steps focus on extending mainstream SEND expertise and strengthening early years foundational skills through high-quality interactions and outdoor provision.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• The curriculum is rich, broad, well designed and fully embedded across all subjects.
• Knowledge and skills are carefully sequenced, with vocabulary and language development given the highest priority.
• Phonics and reading are taught well from Reception, and pupils leave as confident readers and writers with a love of reading.
• Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge and help pupils build successfully on prior learning.
• Staff in the resourced provision are very well trained to meet a diverse range of pupils' needs.
• Careful curriculum adaptations support pupils with SEND to make steady progress towards individual targets.
• Inclusion is a golden thread running through all aspects of the school's work.
• Vulnerable pupils and families receive swift and effective support.
• Leaders and governors check the progress of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils carefully and address gaps.
• Disadvantaged pupil funding is used effectively with clear impact over time.
• Leaders and governors share a strong, inclusive vision and accurately identify improvement priorities.
• The collaborative work across the federation has a positive impact on practice and provision.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil all statutory duties.
• Teachers feel valued and supported, and leaders are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing.
• Pupils' personal development is given the highest priority and is carefully planned.
• Pupils feel well supported, thrive, and develop a strong sense of identity and belonging.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and healthy, including online and during transition to secondary school.
• The school offers a wide range of after-school activities, trips and a residential journey.
• Pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above the national average by the end of Year 6.
• Pupils with SEND achieve very well from their starting points because of high-quality provision.
• Attendance is in line with national averages and persistent absence is below the national average.
• Pupils behave well, are attentive and respectful, and playtimes are happy and well provided for.
• Children in early years make progress from starting points, some of which are much lower than expected.
• Parents and carers speak highly of the school and feel involved in their children's learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Over half of Reception children do not typically achieve an overall good level of development before moving to Year 1.
• Many Year 1 pupils do not pass the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1.
• The early years outdoor space does not consistently support children to apply emerging phonics and number skills.
• Some children do not secure the skills they need to be ready for the Year 1 curriculum.
• Early years staff interactions sometimes lack enough emphasis on the precise vocabulary needed to support learning.
• Staff interactions in early years are not always sharply focused on the intended learning.
• Leaders should further develop staff expertise across mainstream classes so that outcomes for pupils with SEND are strengthened further.
• Leaders should build on early years staff expertise to secure children's foundational skills through high-quality interactions and outdoor provision.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Fossdene Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.4% of pupils at Fossdene Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Fossdene Primary School had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 42.7% of pupils at Fossdene Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Fossdene Primary School received £11,435 and spent £12,494 for each of its 206 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £90,000 (-£435 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Greenwich · Greenwich local authority: places and applications

What is Fossdene Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Fossdene Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Fossdene Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Fossdene Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Fossdene Primary School have?

Fossdene Primary School has 206 pupils on roll.

What age range does Fossdene Primary School cover?

Fossdene Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Fossdene Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Fossdene Primary School?

Fossdene Primary School is at Victoria Way, Charlton, London, SE7 7NQ.