The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School

The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School is a small, inclusive primary where pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well. Since the previous inspection, leaders have made significant changes and the school is now judged good across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years; safeguarding is effective. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well and are supported to learn alongside their peers. Reading is a particular strength: phonics begins in Reception, teaching is highly expert, and reading sessions are well organised and effective. The curriculum is ambitious and clearly sequenced, including for mixed-age classes, and pupils produce work of a high standard. Personal development is supported through trips, residential visits, community work and opportunities such as school productions. This graded inspection did not award an overall effectiveness grade. Two areas still need work. In some subjects, staff do not consistently check what pupils remember or correct misconceptions, so tasks are sometimes poorly matched and learning lacks depth. Pupils' understanding of some British values and protected characteristics is also uneven, meaning they are not as well prepared for all aspects of life in modern Britain as they could be. The school has a religious character and is part of the Diocese of Lincolnshire; the executive headteacher also leads one other school.

Strengths

• Inclusive school where staff know pupils and families well and treat everyone with kindness and respect
• Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well, including during social times
• Strong early reading and phonics provision with expert teaching and well-organised reading sessions
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, who access learning alongside their peers and achieve well
• Ambitious, clearly sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge from early years to Year 6, including in mixed-age classes
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and pupils produce work of a high standard
• Personal development enriched through trips, residential visits, community work and performances
• Pupils learn how to stay safe, manage their physical and mental health and show respect for others
• Staff value leaders' work to manage workload and support well-being, and governors hold leaders to account effectively
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, staff do not consistently check pupils' understanding or correct misconceptions
• Tasks are sometimes not matched to pupils' existing knowledge, limiting depth of learning
• Some subjects do not consistently revisit prior learning, so gaps can go unnoticed
• Pupils' understanding of some British values, such as individual liberty and the rule of law, is uneven
• Pupils do not securely understand all protected characteristics, so preparation for some aspects of life in modern Britain is weaker

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 The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School attended 92.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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, 1.8% of pupils at The Gedney Hill Church of England VC 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 The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School had 12.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 30.0% of pupils at The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.7% 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 The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School received £10,841 and spent £11,343 for each of its 60 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £71,000 (£1,186 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 Spalding · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School have?

The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School has 60 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School cover?

The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School?

The Gedney Hill Church of England VC Primary School is at North Road, Gedney Hill, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 0NL.