Five Acres Primary School

Five Acres Primary School is performing well, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning, thrive in a supportive environment, and enjoy a varied curriculum that includes enriching activities. The school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils' reading skills from an early age, supported by enthusiastic staff who encourage a love of reading. However, the curriculum requires further development in some subjects to ensure that pupils build knowledge and skills effectively. This inspection marked the first review since the COVID-19 pandemic and follows a previous inspection in late 2016.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy being part of a welcoming and supportive school community.
• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, focusing on their potential.
• Pupils behave well and enjoy a broad and memorable curriculum.
• There is a strong focus on reading comprehension and phonics teaching.
• Pupils' personal development is a significant strength, with a good understanding of British values.
• The school has effective safeguarding arrangements in place.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not sufficiently detailed in some subjects, hindering knowledge building.
• Books used for early reading are not always well matched to pupils' phonics knowledge.

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 Five Acres Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.4% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Five Acres Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Five Acres Primary School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.1% 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, 17.5% of pupils at Five Acres Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Five Acres Primary School received £7,617 and spent £7,806 for each of its 308 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £6,000 (£18 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 Bicester · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Five Acres Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Five Acres Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2022.

When was Five Acres Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Five Acres Primary School was last inspected in May 2022.

How many pupils does Five Acres Primary School have?

Five Acres Primary School has 315 pupils on roll.

What age range does Five Acres Primary School cover?

Five Acres Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Five Acres Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Five Acres Primary School?

Five Acres Primary School is at East Hawthorn Rd, Ambrosden, East Hawthorn Rd, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX25 2SN.