Whitchurch CofE Primary School

Whitchurch CofE Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils achieve well and behave positively. The school has high expectations, strong relationships and a nurturing culture, and pupils feel safe. Early years provision is a standout strength, giving children an excellent start and helping them become independent, curious learners. Reading is central to the curriculum, with consistent phonics teaching and effective support for pupils who need to catch up. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well, and personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Staff morale is high and governors understand the school well. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has not had an overall effectiveness grade because schools inspected from September 2024 are no longer awarded one. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school’s mixed-age class structure means pupils follow different curriculum pathways, which leaders manage closely, but some curriculum development work is still underway. In some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented as intended, so pupils do not always make connections across their learning. Checks on what pupils know and remember are not consistently effective, and misconceptions are sometimes not addressed quickly enough, meaning errors can be repeated. The school should continue improving curriculum implementation across all subjects and strengthen assessment systems so all pupils receive the feedback they need.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive culture with strong relationships and pupils feeling safe.
• High expectations and pupils achieving well with positive attitudes and polite behaviour.
• Excellent early years provision with tailored support and a strong communication and language focus.
• Reading at the heart of the curriculum with consistent phonics teaching and effective catch-up support.
• Quick identification of SEND and successful adaptation so pupils learn the same curriculum as peers.
• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum with clear lesson structures.
• Strong personal development programme covering safety, health, tolerance and meaningful pupil leadership.
• Staff feel well supported, morale is high and governors know the school well.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is not implemented as intended in some subjects, limiting pupils' opportunities to make connections and deepen knowledge.
• Checks on pupils' learning are not consistently effective, so some pupils do not receive the feedback they need to address errors.
• Misconceptions are sometimes not addressed quickly, meaning errors or misunderstandings can be repeated.
• Mixed-age class pathways present curriculum coverage challenges, and revisions are still needed to ensure all aspects are equally well developed.

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 Whitchurch CofE Primary School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Whitchurch 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 Whitchurch CofE Primary School had 14.8 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, 6.3% of pupils at Whitchurch CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Whitchurch CofE Primary School received £10,000 and spent £10,105 for each of its 127 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £86,000 (£677 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 Ross-On-Wye · Herefordshire, County of local authority: places and applications

What is Whitchurch CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whitchurch CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Whitchurch CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whitchurch CofE Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Whitchurch CofE Primary School have?

Whitchurch CofE Primary School has 127 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whitchurch CofE Primary School cover?

Whitchurch CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Whitchurch CofE Primary School?

Whitchurch CofE Primary School is at Whitchurch, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6DA.