Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School

Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance overall. The school is characterized by a strong sense of community, where pupils embody the core values of love, righteousness, and fellowship. The positive environment is reflected in the happy playtimes and the pride students take in their roles, contributing to a safe and respectful atmosphere. The curriculum is well-structured and constantly reviewed, with a notable strength in the focus on phonics that supports early reading skills effectively. However, the school faces challenges in curriculum delivery, particularly as some improvements are still being embedded. Staff need to enhance their subject knowledge to design better learning activities and accurate assessment strategies to track what students have learned over time. Despite these concerns, the inclusive environment and varied extracurricular opportunities significantly contribute to the students' experiences and development.

Strengths

• Strong community values promoting kindness and compassion
• High priority given to reading and effective phonics teaching
• Inclusive learning environment that supports all pupils, including those with SEND
• Effective and engaging forest school provision
• Well-structured personal, social, and health education programme

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack the subject knowledge needed for effective curriculum delivery
• Assessment practices do not always provide an accurate picture of what pupils have learned

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 Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.5% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Western Downland Church of England Aided 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 Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 13.1% of pupils at Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.9% 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 Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School received £8,015 and spent £7,882 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £48,000 (£300 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 Fordingbridge · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School have?

Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School has 160 pupils on roll.

What age range does Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School cover?

Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School?

Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary School is at Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 3NA.