Homer First School and Nursery

Homer First School and Nursery is a small, inclusive primary and nursery school that fulfils the expected standard overall. Inspectors found a broad and ambitious curriculum, strong early reading and mathematics provision, and a positive early years start. Pupils behave well in a calm, purposeful environment, and the school's inclusive ethos is a clear strength: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are generally well supported, including through the Homer Hub, and parents speak highly of the school. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious curriculum with a clear emphasis on secure foundations, especially in reading and mathematics.
• Strong early reading provision; phonics outcomes have improved and most pupils develop fluency and accuracy.
• Inclusive culture with effective identification of additional needs and targeted support, including through the Homer Hub.
• Positive, calm and purposeful behaviour, with clear routines and respectful relationships.
• Personal development programme that promotes wellbeing, safety, emotional literacy and community involvement.
• Early years provides a positive, well-sequenced start, with children settling quickly and engaging well.
• Parents speak highly of the school and value its community feel and support for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of priorities and support staff workload and wellbeing.
• Governors are committed, trained and fulfil safeguarding responsibilities.
• Pupils benefit from trips, clubs, leadership roles and charitable work.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders do not analyse attendance information closely enough to identify patterns or support pupils most at risk of absence.
• Persistent absence remains too high for some groups of pupils, particularly the most vulnerable.
• Lesson activities do not consistently help all pupils build securely on prior learning or deepen understanding over time.
• The quality of pupils' work varies across the wider curriculum, and expectations are less consistent.
• Handwriting and spelling sometimes limit how clearly pupils communicate their understanding across subjects.
• Teaching does not always adapt the curriculum precisely enough for all pupils.
• Early years interactions do not always extend children's thinking or develop vocabulary precisely during independent learning.
• Governors need to ensure oversight and challenge consistently hold leaders to account for further improvement.
• Some pupils' understanding of fundamental British values is not consistently embedded.
• Leaders have not yet secured consistently rapid and sustained gains in attendance.

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 Homer First School and Nursery attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Homer First School and Nursery 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 Homer First School and Nursery had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.5% 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, 8.9% of pupils at Homer First School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Homer First School and Nursery received £8,479 and spent £8,889 for each of its 164 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £353,000 (-£2,153 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 Windsor · Windsor and Maidenhead local authority: places and applications

What is Homer First School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Homer First School and Nursery is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Homer First School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Homer First School and Nursery was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Homer First School and Nursery have?

Homer First School and Nursery has 168 pupils on roll.

What age range does Homer First School and Nursery cover?

Homer First School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Homer First School and Nursery?

Homer First School and Nursery is at Testwood Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 5RL.