Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School

Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School is a small Church of England primary that has undergone a complete change of senior leadership since its last inspection. The current headteacher started in September 2024 and the assistant headteacher in September 2025. Inspectors found safeguarding is effective and that attendance and behaviour, early years, leadership and governance, and personal development are all meeting expected standards. Attendance has improved markedly, pupils behave well, and the school's outdoor play provision and pastoral care are having a positive impact. Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school and are taking the right improvement actions. However, pupils' achievement, the quality of curriculum and teaching, and inclusion require further work. Pupils' outcomes are broadly close to national averages in reading and mathematics, but writing is weaker, disadvantaged pupils lag well behind, and pupils with SEND generally do not make suitable progress. Teaching is not consistently adapted to meet pupils' varied needs, expectations are sometimes not ambitious enough, and staff do not always use assessment to address gaps. Some curriculum content is not taught as intended. Leaders know these priorities and have already begun to address them, but the impact is not yet consistent across the school. Pupils are positive about the improvements, feel safe and are well cared for, and they benefit from strong wider opportunities. The school's next steps focus on ensuring teaching consistently meets all pupils' needs, closes gaps in reading, writing and mathematics, sets precise SEND targets, and implements the curriculum as designed so that pupils achieve as highly as they should.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Attendance has improved significantly, especially for pupils who are often absent, pupils with SEND, and disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils behave well; the school is calm and orderly, with warm and positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• High-quality structured outdoor play at lunchtimes has reduced unwelcome behaviour and developed pupils' confidence, resilience and teamwork.
• The early years curriculum is well sequenced, adapted to children's needs, and prepares children well for Year 1.
• Phonics teaching has improved, and children apply their phonics knowledge accurately in writing.
• The new senior leadership team, supported by governors, is having a significant positive impact on school improvement.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and priorities, and staff appreciate the support they receive, including for workload.
• The personal development programme is carefully considered, ambitious and typically well taught, helping pupils understand values, safety and wellbeing.
• Pupils benefit from high-quality pastoral care, counselling, and a wide range of sporting and wider opportunities with parity of access.
• Well-targeted spending for disadvantaged pupils has improved attendance, behaviour and wellbeing.
• Pupils are enthusiastic, feel safe, and enjoy positive relationships and wider educational experiences.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are below national averages, with large attainment gaps, especially in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils' attainment in writing is below national averages.
• Pupils with SEND generally do not make suitable progress from their starting points.
• Teaching is not consistently adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND or disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff expectations of what pupils should achieve are sometimes unclear or lack ambition.
• Teaching does not always focus well enough on gaps in pupils' reading, writing and mathematical knowledge.
• Staff do not always make effective enough use of checks on pupils' learning to inform next steps in teaching.
• Agreed targets for pupils with SEND are often not met and are sometimes repeated without enough good reason.
• Some aspects of the curriculum are not taught as the school intends.
• Some early years activities could have more ambition so that children achieve even more highly.

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 Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.3% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Steeple Morden CofE VC 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 Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.7% 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, 15.6% of pupils at Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School received £7,340 and spent £7,971 for each of its 141 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £149,000 (-£1,053 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).

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What is Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School have?

Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School has 141 pupils on roll.

What age range does Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School cover?

Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School?

Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School is at 7 Hay Street, Steeple Morden, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 0PD.