Kennet Valley Primary School

Kennet Valley Primary is a caring and inclusive school where pupils are happy, behave well and benefit from an ambitious curriculum. Inspectors found strong provision across education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years. The school has responded effectively to weaker 2024 mathematics outcomes, and current pupils are achieving well. Support for pupils with SEND is a particular strength, including the specially resourced provision opened in September 2024 for pupils with autism and/or social, emotional and mental health needs. Reading is taught effectively from Reception, and pupils who fall behind are identified and supported quickly. The personal development programme is well considered, with enrichment and thoughtful celebration of diversity, and pupils take on responsibilities. Leadership and governance are effective, staff are well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main areas for improvement are assessment in some subjects, where staff do not always check understanding well enough before moving on, and attendance, where some pupils still miss too much school. This inspection was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade under the current inspection framework.

Strengths

• Caring and inclusive culture where everyone is welcome
• Ambitious curriculum with knowledge building progressively from Reception to Year 6
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, including the specially resourced provision
• Effective early reading teaching and timely support for pupils who fall behind
• Well-considered personal development programme with enrichment and diversity celebration
• Positive pupil behaviour and kind social interactions
• Effective leadership and governance focused on continuous improvement
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, assessment does not check pupils' understanding well enough before new content is taught
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge and misconceptions are not always identified effectively
• Some pupils' attendance is not high enough, limiting their access to the full curriculum and enrichment

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 Kennet Valley Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.6% 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, 4.5% of pupils at Kennet Valley 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 Kennet Valley Primary School had 13.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 18.2% of pupils at Kennet Valley Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 12.6% 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 Kennet Valley Primary School received £10,293 and spent £10,593 for each of its 198 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £23,000 (-£117 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 · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Kennet Valley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kennet Valley Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Kennet Valley Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kennet Valley Primary School was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Kennet Valley Primary School have?

Kennet Valley Primary School has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kennet Valley Primary School cover?

Kennet Valley Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kennet Valley Primary School?

Kennet Valley Primary School is at Carters Rise, Calcot, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 7YT.