Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School remains a school that requires improvement across all key judgements. Inspectors found an ambitious, coherently sequenced curriculum and clear improvements in early reading and phonics, but the quality of education is uneven because staff do not consistently implement the curriculum, check pupils' understanding, or adapt learning well for pupils with SEND. Published Year 6 outcomes in 2024 reflect this underachievement, and weak early writing and handwriting slow pupils' progress. The school is friendly and inclusive, with strong support for new pupils, including young interpreters, and effective safeguarding. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and benefit from the Nest provision and pastoral support; suspensions are falling and attendance is beginning to improve. However, behaviour expectations are not applied consistently, particularly at social times, and pupils have too few opportunities to take responsibility and contribute to school life. Leadership has made positive changes since the previous inspection, but staffing instability and the legacy of a weak curriculum continue to affect learning. Some staff and parents hold mixed views, and work remains to embed the school's vision and behaviour policy consistently. The school knows its priorities, and governors fulfil their duties.

Strengths

• Ambitious, coherently sequenced curriculum in place
• Strong focus on early reading, phonics and communication and language
• Effective support for pupils who fall behind in reading
• Peer support helps new pupils, including those new to English, feel included
• Swift identification of pupils with SEND
• Specialist Nest provision and pastoral support for social and emotional needs
• Suspensions falling sharply due to the school's work
• Attendance monitored closely with early signs of improvement
• Pupils learn effective mental health and well-being strategies
• Pupils develop mature understanding of discrimination and equality
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Governors fulfil statutory duties and understand priorities
• Many staff value consideration given to their workload

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is too variable across the school
• Staff do not consistently check pupils' understanding before moving on
• Staff lack expertise to adapt learning effectively, including for pupils with SEND
• Early transcription and handwriting are not taught with sufficient rigour
• Behaviour policy and expectations are not applied consistently, including at social times
• A minority of pupils lose focus and disrupt others' learning
• Limited opportunities for pupils to take responsibility and contribute to school life
• Personal and character development aims are not fully achieved
• School vision for improvement is not fully realised in day-to-day practice
• Some staff and parents hold mixed views about the school
• Staff want more support in managing pupils' behaviour
• Attendance improvement work needs to continue

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 Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.7% 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, 3.8% of pupils at Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery 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 Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School received £8,071 and spent £8,841 for each of its 372 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £612,000 (-£1,645 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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All schools in Southampton · Southampton local authority: places and applications

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School is part of Bridge Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Newlands Primary School Southampton
• Fairisle Infant and Nursery School Southampton
• Fairisle Junior School Southampton
• Oakwood Primary School Southampton
• Redbridge Primary School Southampton

What is Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School have?

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School has 372 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School cover?

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 25% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School?

Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School is at Warren Crescent, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6AY.