Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School

Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School is a small, caring and nurturing school where pupils are happy, respectful and well behaved. Inspectors found all key areas—quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management—to be good. The school has a well-designed curriculum suited to mixed-age classes, strong early reading and phonics, effective support for a rising number of pupils with SEND, and secure safeguarding. Pupils benefit from a close-knit family ethos, good attendance, and wide personal development opportunities beyond the village. Leaders and governors have brought greater stability after an unsettled period, and staff are well trained and supported. The main area for improvement is that in a small number of subjects, learning activities do not consistently help pupils build sequentially on prior knowledge or meet the needs of mixed-age classes, so some pupils struggle to recall content and have gaps in their knowledge. This is reflected in the quality of work in those subjects. Context includes the school's small roll of 22 pupils, SEND proportion at 50%, mixed-age classes, external support from T.E.A.M Education Trust, and this being the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. No separate early years judgement was given because very few children were on roll in that phase.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, respectful, polite and proud of their school.
• Behaviour and attitudes are good, with positive relationships and pupils feeling safe.
• The curriculum is well designed for all subjects and carefully adapted to mixed-age classes.
• Pupils with SEND are quickly identified and well supported, and they flourish and achieve well.
• Early reading and phonics are prioritised, with well-trained staff helping pupils become fluent, confident readers.
• Staff have secure subject knowledge and generally give clear instructions, especially in English and mathematics.
• The early years curriculum is well designed and provides bespoke support for language and communication.
• Attendance and behaviour systems are strong, with timely support for pupils.
• Personal development is promoted well, including a broad PSHE curriculum and opportunities beyond the village.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with greater stability, well-trained staff and attention to workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, learning activities are not well matched to the intended curriculum or the needs of mixed-age classes.
• Some pupils struggle to recall what they have learned in these subjects, leaving gaps in knowledge.
• Pupils' knowledge and skills are less well embedded in these subjects than in other areas, and this is reflected in the work they produce.

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 Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.8% 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 Caunton Dean Hole 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 2024–25 Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School had 14.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.5% 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 2024–25 Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School received £18,313 and spent £17,012 for each of its 23 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £49,000 (-£2,132 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 Newark · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School have?

Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School has 12 pupils on roll.

What age range does Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School cover?

Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School?

Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School is at Manor Road, Caunton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 6AD.