Drayton Parslow Village School

Drayton Parslow Village School is a small village primary with 36 pupils, and the inspection found it is performing well overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school has a calm, inclusive and nurturing culture. Early years provision and personal development are particular strengths, with children thriving in a warm environment, strong phonics and early reading teaching, and a rich programme that builds pupils' safety, relationships and wider experiences. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance all reflect a school that is meeting expected standards, with pupils generally achieving well and attendance better than national averages. Leaders have built a broad, ambitious curriculum and prioritise reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are identified accurately and supported effectively, including through strong external partnerships and close work with families. Behaviour is respectful, bullying is rare, and pupils benefit from clubs, visits, leadership roles and outdoor learning. Parents are overwhelmingly positive, and staff value the supportive and collaborative culture. The main area for improvement is that teaching is not always matched closely enough to pupils' needs, which can limit how deeply pupils deepen their understanding across some subjects. Governors would also benefit from a more systematic approach to monitoring the impact of leaders' actions. Overall, this is a well-led, inclusive school with clear strengths and a sensible next step focused on consistently sharpening teaching to pupils' needs.

Strengths

• Warm, nurturing early years provision with strong relationships and predictable routines.
• Highly effective early reading and phonics teaching, with books matched to children's phonics knowledge.
• Swift support for children at risk of falling behind in early reading.
• Strong focus on communication and language, extending vocabulary and thinking through sustained conversations.
• A rich personal development programme covering safety, healthy relationships and respect for others.
• Effective support for vulnerable pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, to access wider opportunities.
• Pupils demonstrate calm, respectful behaviour and say bullying is rare.
• Attendance is better than national averages, including for vulnerable groups.
• A broad, ambitious and logically sequenced curriculum.
• Strong foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, with pupils achieving above average in phonics.
• Thoughtful and well-structured teaching for pupils with SEND, supported by external specialists.
• Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and development priorities.
• Positive relationships with parents and carers, who are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• Staff value the inclusive, collaborative culture and the consideration given to workload and wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching activities are not always matched closely enough to pupils' needs, so pupils occasionally do not deepen their understanding sufficiently across all subjects.
• Governors would benefit from a more systematic approach to monitoring the impact of leaders' actions.

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 Drayton Parslow Village School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Drayton Parslow Village 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 Drayton Parslow Village School had 10.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Drayton Parslow Village School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 Drayton Parslow Village School received £12,972 and spent £13,469 for each of its 38 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £56,000 (£1,461 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

What is Drayton Parslow Village School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Drayton Parslow Village School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Drayton Parslow Village School last inspected by Ofsted?

Drayton Parslow Village School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Drayton Parslow Village School have?

Drayton Parslow Village School has 38 pupils on roll.

What age range does Drayton Parslow Village School cover?

Drayton Parslow Village School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Drayton Parslow Village School?

Drayton Parslow Village School is at Main Road, Drayton Parslow, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK17 0JR.