Tiptoe Primary School

Tiptoe Primary School is a very small rural primary with two specially resourced key stage 2 provisions for pupils with SEND, including autism and severe learning difficulties. Inspectors found inclusion to be exceptional: leaders know pupils and families deeply, support begins at transition, staff are highly trained, and the local authority points other schools to Tiptoe as an example. Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and other vulnerable groups are exceptionally well known and supported, and safeguarding standards are met. Across the rest of the school, provision is consistently strong. Pupils make excellent progress from their individual starting points, including in phonics, writing and the wider curriculum, and disadvantaged pupils often outperform non-disadvantaged peers nationally. Behaviour is impeccable, attendance is good, early years provision is carefully planned, and leadership and governance are effective. Published outcomes do not fully reflect the school’s achievement because of the resourced provisions. The main next step is attendance: leaders should continue their strong work so that all pupils attend as often as possible. Overall, this is a highly inclusive school with no major weaknesses identified in the inspection.

Strengths

• Exceptional inclusion and highly precise support for pupils with SEND, including in two resourced provisions.
• Leaders know each pupil and family deeply and begin support at transition.
• Staff are extremely well trained and responsive to individual needs.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, make excellent progress from their starting points.
• Phonics, writing and handwriting are taught highly effectively.
• The curriculum is ambitious, carefully sequenced and well taught across subjects.
• Teaching uses strong subject knowledge and assessment to adapt learning and address misconceptions.
• Early years provision is carefully planned, with strong induction and consistent phonics, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable, and relationships are calm, respectful and inclusive.
• Attendance is strong and leaders work effectively with families and external agencies.
• Personal development and pastoral support are highly effective, including emotional check-ins and targeted help.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a clear vision, strong staff support and effective monitoring.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance is the only identified next step; leaders should continue their strong work to ensure all pupils attend as often as possible.

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 Tiptoe Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Tiptoe 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 Tiptoe Primary School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Tiptoe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 23.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 19 pupils.

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 Tiptoe Primary School received £12,145 and spent £11,562 for each of its 123 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £108,000 (£874 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 Lymington · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Tiptoe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Tiptoe Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Tiptoe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Tiptoe Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Tiptoe Primary School have?

Tiptoe Primary School has 123 pupils on roll.

What age range does Tiptoe Primary School cover?

Tiptoe Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Tiptoe Primary School?

Tiptoe Primary School is at Wootton Road, Tiptoe, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 6FU.