Shurdington Church of England Primary School

Shurdington Church of England Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive smaller-than-average church primary where pupils are expected and supported to do their best. The inspection found strong provision across the school: pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exceptional, personal development is a standout feature, and the quality of education, leadership and early years provision are secure. Pupils, including those with SEND and those joining after Reception, settle well and feel accepted, and parents support this view. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was inspected under the framework that does not issue an overall effectiveness grade. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, with knowledge broken into small steps and shared with pupils; reading and mathematics are priorities, and recent improvements in maths are showing in pupils’ outcomes. Enrichment is extensive and deliberately widens pupils’ experiences, with disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND benefiting. Pastoral care is a major strength, helping pupils feel safe, manage feelings and behaviour, and improving attendance. Staff are well supported and subject knowledge is strong, while governors provide effective challenge and support. The main areas for improvement concern consistency for pupils with SEND and a small group of pupils who fall behind in phonics. Some SEND pupils do not always get work precisely matched to their prior knowledge or well enough adapted and scaffolded, and support for the small proportion of pupils who do not keep up with phonics does not always secure fluent reading. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exceptional, with high expectations and consistent effort.
• Pupils are respectful, listen well and take care with their written work.
• The school is warm and inclusive; pupils joining after Reception and pupils with SEND settle well and feel accepted.
• An extensive enrichment offer gives pupils a voice and removes barriers to participation, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, with knowledge stems broken into small steps and shared with pupils.
• Reading is a priority, with an ambitious, well-structured phonics programme and well-matched books.
• Mathematics has improved significantly, with gap analysis, quick checks and maths meetings helping pupils keep up.
• Staff are well supported and have strong subject knowledge; collaboration supports consistent curriculum implementation.
• Pastoral care is high quality, pupils feel safe, and attendance has improved significantly.
• Governors provide a clear strategic vision, effective challenge and support, and fulfil statutory responsibilities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Support for the small proportion of pupils who fall behind in phonics does not always secure fluent reading.
• Work for some pupils with SEND is not precisely matched to their prior knowledge and is not always adapted or scaffolded effectively.
• Some pupils with SEND do not routinely build on the vocabulary, concepts or knowledge they are secure with.

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 Shurdington Church of England Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Shurdington Church of England 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 Shurdington Church of England Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% 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, 22.7% of pupils at Shurdington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.2% 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 Shurdington Church of England Primary School received £7,157 and spent £7,062 for each of its 207 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £59,000 (-£287 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 Shurdington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shurdington Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Shurdington Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shurdington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Shurdington Church of England Primary School have?

Shurdington Church of England Primary School has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shurdington Church of England Primary School cover?

Shurdington Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Shurdington Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shurdington Church of England Primary School?

Shurdington Church of England Primary School is at Shurdington Primary School, Badgeworth Lane, Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 4UQ.