Thameside Primary School

Thameside Primary School continues to maintain the high standards established in previous inspections, demonstrating effective action since the last grade assessment. The school is a nurturing and supportive environment where pupils feel happy and safe, enjoying engaging learning opportunities that promote a love for reading and healthy relationships. With strong high expectations for behavior, the school fosters a calm atmosphere conducive to learning and has made progress in curriculum design, especially in mathematics and reading. However, the writing curriculum needs further development, and certain new subjects in the wider curriculum have not yet helped pupils to deepen their knowledge or critical thinking skills adequately.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe, and well-nurtured.
• High expectations for pupils’ conduct and success.
• Strong curriculum design with well-sequenced learning.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Children in early years receive a strong start to their education.
• Robust actions to promote high attendance rates.
• A wide range of memorable learning opportunities.
• Excellent phonics program delivery by well-trained teachers.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing curriculum needs further development.
• Some new subjects do not effectively deepen knowledge.
• Inconsistent identification and addressing of gaps in knowledge in foundation subjects.

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 Thameside Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.4% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Thameside 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 Thameside Primary School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.3% 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, 30.1% of pupils at Thameside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.1% 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 Thameside Primary School received £9,546 and spent £10,420 for each of its 322 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £563,000 (-£1,749 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 Reading · Reading local authority: places and applications

What is Thameside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thameside Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Thameside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thameside Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Thameside Primary School have?

Thameside Primary School has 322 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thameside Primary School cover?

Thameside Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thameside Primary School?

Thameside Primary School is at Harley Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8DB.