Heron Primary School

Heron Primary School is an inclusive, welcoming school where staff are ambitious for pupils and where all key judgements are good. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection, and inspectors took the pandemic’s impact into account. Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well, and the school has a strong emphasis on mental health, wellbeing and outdoor play and learning. The curriculum builds knowledge securely from Reception, and pupils with SEND achieve well because targets are clear and teaching is adapted. Phonics and reading are taught effectively, most pupils become competent independent readers, and there is a deliberate focus on subject-specific vocabulary. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. There are still areas to improve. Some older pupils do not enjoy reading and avoid it, a small number of pupils are persistently absent, and early years vocabulary for personal, social and emotional development is not fully identified. The school’s work to engage openly with parents has had mixed success, with a minority of parents not convinced the school is working in their children’s best interests.

Strengths

• Inclusive and welcoming culture with staff ambitious for all pupils
• Consistent high expectations for behaviour; pupils behave respectfully and lessons flow
• Strong focus on mental health and wellbeing through an extensive curriculum
• Outdoor play and learning project supports good behaviour and wellbeing
• Curriculum builds knowledge securely from Reception and helps pupils recall it over time
• Pupils with SEND achieve well due to clear targets and adapted teaching
• Effective phonics and reading teaching; most pupils become competent independent readers
• Deliberate focus on subject-specific vocabulary across the curriculum
• Strong relationships with many parents and responsiveness to parent feedback
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils do not enjoy reading and avoid it, limiting their fluency and confidence
• A small number of pupils are persistently absent and miss curriculum learning
• Early years vocabulary for personal, social and emotional development is not fully identified
• Parent engagement has had mixed success, with some parents lacking confidence in the school

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 Heron Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.8% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Heron 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 Heron Primary School had 23.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.5% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Heron Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Heron Primary School received £6,436 and spent £6,161 for each of its 402 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £408,000 (£1,015 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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• Secondary Schools

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What is Heron Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Heron Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Heron Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Heron Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Heron Primary School have?

Heron Primary School has 402 pupils on roll.

What age range does Heron Primary School cover?

Heron Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Heron Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Heron Primary School?

Heron Primary School is at Heron Way, Abbeydale, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 4BN.