St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill

St Thomas' Church of England Infant School is performing well overall, graded as 'Good' in all inspected areas such as quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school is praised for creating a friendly, inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and eager to learn. Enrichment activities, including themed 'hook' experiences, stimulate pupils' interest and engagement in their learning. Despite its strong overall performance, this is the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been considered in evaluating the school's effectiveness.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and valued in a nurturing environment.
• Strong emphasis on reading development with effective phonics teaching.
• Leadership demonstrates a commitment to inclusive education, particularly for SEND students.
• Curriculum is ambitious and well-structured to support smooth transitions to Year 1.
• Positive behaviour among pupils, fostering a respectful school culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years activities do not always meet curriculum aims, leading to missed learning opportunities.
• Limited opportunities for pupils to learn about diverse cultures and ways of life.

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 St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.6% 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, 2.1% of pupils at St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill 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 St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.0% 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, 16.5% of pupils at St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill received £8,501 and spent £8,226 for each of its 85 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £52,000 (£617 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 Newbury · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill have?

St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill has 85 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill cover?

St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill?

St Thomas' Church of England Infant School, Woolton Hill is at Woolton Hill, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 9XF.