Cheriton Primary School

Cheriton Primary is a small village school that inspectors found nurturing, ambitious and strongly community-minded. Pupils flourish academically, socially and emotionally, and behaviour is a standout strength: pupils are polite, respectful, calm and highly engaged in lessons, and they take pride in their work. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils. Since the previous inspection, leaders have built a broad and ambitious curriculum that starts in the early years and builds progressively through the school. Reading is a particular strength, with early support helping pupils who fall behind to catch up, and pupils with SEND are identified well and make strong progress. Personal development and safeguarding are effective, and governors challenge and support the school appropriately while staff value the support they receive with workload. The main area for improvement is assessment in foundation subjects. Checks on what pupils know and remember over time are not as effective as in English, mathematics and science, so some pupils are not always ready for the next steps in their learning. This was a graded inspection, and under current arrangements no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Nurturing school with high aspirations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils' behaviour is exemplary; they are polite, respectful and calm.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum builds progressively from the early years.
• Teachers are well trained, have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly.
• Strong reading culture, with effective early reading support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified well, tasks are adapted, and they make strong progress.
• Pupils' attitudes to learning are exceptional; they are engaged and attentive.
• High attendance expectations are maintained through effective work with parents.
• Personal development is promoted well, including online safety, relationships and British values.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors challenge and support the school effectively, and staff value workload support.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment strategies in foundation subjects do not sufficiently show what pupils know and remember over time.
• Some pupils are not always ready for the next steps in their learning because of gaps in foundation-subject assessment.

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 Cheriton Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Cheriton 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 Cheriton Primary School had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.6% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Cheriton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% 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 Cheriton Primary School received £9,391 and spent £9,167 for each of its 70 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £5,000 (£76 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 Alresford · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Cheriton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Cheriton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cheriton Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Cheriton Primary School have?

Cheriton Primary School has 70 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cheriton Primary School cover?

Cheriton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

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

Where is Cheriton Primary School?

Cheriton Primary School is at Cheriton, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 0QA.