Pennington Church of England Primary School

Pennington Church of England Junior School has demonstrated significant improvements since its last inspection, achieving a 'Good' rating across all domains. Pupils express a strong sense of belonging and engagement, fostered by high expectations and supportive relationships with staff. Their individual needs are well met, particularly through a robust system for supporting those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school provides a welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued, contributing positively to their personal development and well-being. While the school has implemented an ambitious curriculum that leads to improved outcomes, particularly in English and mathematics, there are still areas for development. Some teachers need clearer guidance on the essential knowledge pupils should grasp before advancing to new content, particularly in subjects like design and technology and physical education. Leaders are aware of these challenges and recognize the need to further strengthen teaching strategies across the curriculum.

Strengths

• High expectations and a culture of achievement among pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Strong pastoral care that fosters individual relationships and trust.
• Ambitious curriculum design in many subjects promoting good progress.
• Strong focus on reading with effective phonics support.
• Positive attitudes towards learning and good behavior in classes.
• High levels of pupil involvement in school improvement initiatives.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject-specific knowledge requirements are unclear for teachers.
• Not all tasks designed by teachers effectively enable intended learning outcomes.

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 Pennington Church of England Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Pennington 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 Pennington Church of England Primary School had 30.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.9% 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, 20.6% of pupils at Pennington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 12 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 Pennington Church of England Primary School received £8,329 and spent £7,748 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £333,000 (£1,959 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 Pennington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

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

Pennington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in February 2024.

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

Pennington Church of England Primary School has 170 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Pennington Church of England Primary School?

Pennington Church of England Primary School is at Priestlands Road, Pennington, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 8HX.