Emmer Green Primary School

Emmer Green Primary School is an exceptionally strong school, judged outstanding in every key judgement: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was the school's first routine inspection since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and its first section 5 inspection since 2012, when it was previously judged outstanding and subsequently exempt from routine inspection. Inspectors found a highly ambitious curriculum, exceptionally high expectations and pupils who achieve extremely well, supported by warm and respectful relationships with staff. Particular strengths include reading, which sits at the heart of the curriculum, with clear, systematic phonics teaching precisely matched to pupils' needs, and writing, where staff model accurate sentences expertly from the early years onwards. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities flourish because staff identify their needs precisely and adapt teaching highly effectively. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance is high across all groups, and the detailed personal development programme, enriched by clubs, university week and visits to places of worship, helps pupils thrive. Leaders at all levels share an ambitious vision, staff benefit from high-quality training and feel well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. No areas for improvement were identified in the report, which is uniformly positive about the school's provision and outcomes. The report notes recent changes to the governing board, which now has co-chairs.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum building secure understanding from Reception to Year 6
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well and strive to meet the school's very high expectations
• Exemplary pupil behaviour, with consistently thoughtful and kind attitudes
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with clear, systematic phonics teaching precisely matched to pupils' needs
• Expert modelling of writing across year groups gives pupils confidence to write across the whole curriculum
• Pupils with SEND flourish through precise identification of needs and highly effective adaptations
• Strong language and vocabulary development starting in the early years
• Teachers use assessment well to check what pupils have remembered and what needs reteaching
• High attendance for all groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• A detailed personal development programme broadens experiences and raises aspirations, including university week
• An impressive range of clubs nurturing pupils' talents and interests, attended by all groups
• Pupils embrace roles of responsibility and make meaningful contributions to the school community
• Leaders at all levels share an ambitious vision, and staff benefit from high-quality training
• Staff feel extremely well supported, with leaders prioritising workload and well-being
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Emmer Green Primary School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.8% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Emmer Green 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 Emmer Green Primary School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 6.0% of pupils at Emmer Green Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Emmer Green Primary School received £6,118 and spent £6,696 for each of its 417 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £470,000 (-£1,128 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).

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What is Emmer Green Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Emmer Green Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Emmer Green Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Emmer Green Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Emmer Green Primary School have?

Emmer Green Primary School has 417 pupils on roll.

What age range does Emmer Green Primary School cover?

Emmer Green Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Emmer Green Primary School?

Emmer Green Primary School is at Grove Road, Emmer Green, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8LN.