Frieth Church of England Combined School

Frieth Church of England Combined School is a small, rural village primary that is performing strongly overall. Achievement, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing are all judged to be of a strong standard: outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have been consistently above national averages over the last three years, and pupils — including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities — develop deep curriculum knowledge and are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. The school is highly inclusive, with forensic analysis of pupils' needs, sharply focused pupil premium work and highly personalised support for pupils with the most complex needs enabling them to thrive alongside their peers. Pupils are confident, articulate communicators who are proud of their school, benefit from an extensive enrichment offer rooted in the local area, and leave as well-rounded young citizens. Safeguarding standards are met, and governors, staff and parents speak warmly of the school's nurturing culture. Attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance were all found to be meeting the expected standard rather than exceeding it. Pupils attend well and behave well, but teaching is not always as sharp as it could be, and this occasionally allows pupils to become distracted. Expectations for handwriting are not consistently reinforced, so pupils' handwriting is uneven, and in the early years and key stage 1 the learning environment and adult interactions are not always focused precisely enough, meaning some opportunities for learning are missed. The inspection took place during a period of significant transition. The school has grown, the leadership structure has been restructured, the deputy headteacher is recently appointed and temporary arrangements are in place for leadership of the early years and special educational needs, with a new early years leader starting in September 2026. Recent changes, particularly in the early years, are in their early stages and need time to embed. Leaders are described as highly ambitious and are well supported by effective governors, and the next steps focus on maintaining momentum while continuing to refine the early years and key stage 1 provision and writing expectations.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve outcomes above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics
• Pupils learn to read fluently and develop a genuine love of reading
• Pupils become confident, articulate communicators with a wide vocabulary who can debate ideas
• Highly inclusive provision with forensic analysis of pupils' needs and swift, well-matched support
• Pupils with SEND, including the most complex needs, achieve well across the curriculum
• Sharply focused pupil premium strategy delivering demonstrable impact for disadvantaged pupils
• Pupils with SEND receive high-quality, highly personalised support to learn alongside their peers
• An ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum enriched by the school's rural context and community partnerships
• Strong personal development, with British values embedded and pupils who respect difference and reject discrimination
• Extensive extra-curricular offer with careful tracking so all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, can take part
• Strong pastoral support, with mentoring and daily feedback having a profound impact for some pupils
• Pupils attend well, with low persistent absence and strategies that improve attendance where targeted
• Pupils behave well in lessons and social times, and say bullying does not happen at the school
• Effective governors who provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil statutory responsibilities
• Staff feel well cared for, with tangible steps to reduce workload and a sharply designed professional learning programme
• Highly effective relationships with parents, carers and the wider community, who are effusive in their praise

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting skills are not consistently reinforced, so pupils' handwriting is uneven
• Opportunities to develop a secure pencil grip in the early years are sometimes missed
• The early years learning environment for play is not always set up precisely, so children do not consistently engage with resources and learning opportunities are missed
• Adult interactions in the early years are not consistently sharp enough to maximise learning
• Opportunities for talk and the learning environment in key stage 1 are not always sharply focused
• When teaching is not as sharp as it could be, pupils sometimes become distracted
• Recent leadership changes, including early years and SEND arrangements, are in the early stages and their impact is not yet fully realised

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 Frieth Church of England Combined School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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 Frieth Church of England Combined 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 Frieth Church of England Combined School had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.5% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Frieth Church of England Combined School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Frieth Church of England Combined School received £5,978 and spent £6,362 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £70,000 (£378 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 Henley-On-Thames · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Frieth Church of England Combined School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Frieth Church of England Combined School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Frieth Church of England Combined School last inspected by Ofsted?

Frieth Church of England Combined School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Frieth Church of England Combined School have?

Frieth Church of England Combined School has 185 pupils on roll.

What age range does Frieth Church of England Combined School cover?

Frieth Church of England Combined School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Frieth Church of England Combined School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Frieth Church of England Combined School?

Frieth Church of England Combined School is at Frieth Church of England Combined School, Frieth, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6PR.