Parsons Down Junior School

Parsons Down Junior School continues to maintain a good standard of education, demonstrating notable strengths in pupil engagement and environmental awareness through their status as an official eco-school. Pupils are happy and proud of their school, actively participating in a variety of roles that promote leadership and community involvement. The school's curriculum is well-structured and designed to build knowledge progressively, which supports effective learning outcomes. However, there are areas for improvement, especially regarding the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they experience the same high expectations as their peers.

Strengths

• Pupils show high levels of engagement and enthusiasm for learning.
• The school is recognized as an eco-school, highlighting its commitment to environmental education.
• Leaders and staff have high ambitions for all pupils and work collaboratively to achieve them.
• The curriculum is well-structured and progressively builds knowledge.
• There is strong pupil leadership and opportunities for pupils to engage in community projects.

Areas for Improvement

• Some low-level disruption in lessons is not addressed quickly enough.
• Expectations for pupils with SEND are not consistently high, leading to variable learning outcomes.

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 Parsons Down Junior School attended 94.4% 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, 6.7% of pupils at Parsons Down Junior 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 Parsons Down Junior School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.6% 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, 25.2% of pupils at Parsons Down Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Parsons Down Junior School received £8,589 and spent £9,010 for each of its 227 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £115,000 (£506 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). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Thatcham · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Parsons Down Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Parsons Down Junior School is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Parsons Down Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Parsons Down Junior School was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Parsons Down Junior School have?

Parsons Down Junior School has 139 pupils on roll.

What age range does Parsons Down Junior School cover?

Parsons Down Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Parsons Down Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 39% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Parsons Down Junior School?

Parsons Down Junior School is at Herons Way, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 3SR.