Bucklebury C.E. Primary School

Bucklebury C.E. Primary is a small Church of England primary school that inspectors found to be performing well across most areas. Pupils are kind, respectful and proud of their roles, behaviour is calm, and relationships with staff are trusting and nurturing. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with coherent sequencing, and staff generally adapt learning well for all pupils, including those with SEND. Reading has been strengthened since weak 2023 phonics outcomes; pupils are now fluent and confident readers. Personal development is a particular strength, with pupils learning to respect diversity, share views and contribute responsibly to their community. Early years provision prepares children well for Year 1, and safeguarding is effective. Leaders are well regarded by staff and most parents, and the school’s values underpin its work. However, there are two clear areas for improvement. Assessment checks in some foundation subjects are not precise enough, so teachers do not always identify and close pupils’ knowledge gaps. SEND policies and practice are still being embedded, and support is occasionally not as precisely matched to pupils’ needs as it could be. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and no overall effectiveness grade was issued under the current framework.

Strengths

• Pupils consistently demonstrate the school values of love, hope and faith.
• Pupils are kind, respectful and supportive, with calm behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and coherently sequenced across subjects.
• Staff have secure subject knowledge and generally adapt activities well for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• The school has refined phonics teaching, and pupils are now fluent and confident readers.
• Personal development provision is exceptional and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Early years adults use skilful questioning to develop children’s vocabulary and prepare them for Year 1.
• Leaders are supportive, staff are motivated, and most parents are positive about the school.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Guidance for teachers on checking pupils’ learning in foundation subjects is not clear enough.
• Assessment information in some non-core subjects is not used precisely to identify and close knowledge gaps.
• SEND policies and practice are not yet fully embedded, leading to some minor inconsistencies.
• On a small number of occasions, SEND support does not meet pupils’ needs as precisely as it could.

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 Bucklebury C.E. Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Bucklebury C.E. 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 Bucklebury C.E. Primary School had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% 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, 17.2% of pupils at Bucklebury C.E. Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Bucklebury C.E. Primary School received £8,722 and spent £8,967 for each of its 98 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £29,000 (-£297 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 Bucklebury C.E. Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bucklebury C.E. Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Bucklebury C.E. Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bucklebury C.E. Primary School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Bucklebury C.E. Primary School have?

Bucklebury C.E. Primary School has 99 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bucklebury C.E. Primary School cover?

Bucklebury C.E. Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bucklebury C.E. Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bucklebury C.E. Primary School?

Bucklebury C.E. Primary School is at Blacklands Road, Upper Bucklebury, Blacklands Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 6QP.