Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School

Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School is a small, inclusive and welcoming school at the centre of its community. Pupils enjoy learning, behave well, feel safe and are proud of their school. The school has high expectations and provides a broad, ambitious curriculum, with reading and phonics particularly strong. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified carefully and supported well, and staff adapt learning so they can access the same curriculum as their peers. Personal development is a notable strength, with pupils well prepared for life in modern Britain through a wide range of enrichment experiences. The inspection took place during a significant period of transition, as the school has moved from being part of a federation to becoming a stand-alone school. Leaders and wider partnerships have worked hard to ensure this has not affected the quality of education. Staff are positive and collaborative, parents are supportive, and the new governing body provides effective oversight. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. There are still areas to improve. The curriculum is relatively new and not yet implemented consistently across all subjects and year groups. In some wider curriculum subjects, the essential knowledge pupils should learn and remember is not precise enough, which means pupils do not always build deep understanding or recall learning well over time. The school recognises this and is clear about the priorities for further development.

Strengths

• Inclusive and welcoming school at the heart of its community
• Pupils are polite, respectful and kind to each other
• Calm and purposeful environment where pupils feel safe
• High expectations and ambition for all pupils
• Broad and balanced curriculum with well-ordered learning
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, with effective adaptation in lessons
• Reading and phonics are taught well, with books matched to pupils' phonics knowledge
• Curriculum enriches pupils' lives and develops their character
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain
• Wide range of trips and external visitors enhances the curriculum
• Staff are positive, collaborative and supportive of each other
• New governing body provides effective oversight and understands improvement priorities
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is not fully consistent across subjects and year groups
• In some wider curriculum subjects, essential knowledge is not precise enough
• Some pupils do not build as deep an understanding or recall learning as well as they could

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 Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.9% 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 Little Dewchurch CofE 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 Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School had 12.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 34.5% 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, 8.2% of pupils at Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School received £11,055 and spent £10,949 for each of its 49 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £140,000 (£2,861 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 Hereford · Herefordshire, County of local authority: places and applications

What is Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School have?

Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School has 49 pupils on roll.

What age range does Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School cover?

Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School?

Little Dewchurch CofE Primary School is at Little Dewchurch, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR2 6PN.