Longfields Primary and Nursery School

Longfields Primary and Nursery School is a larger-than-average primary and nursery that has been through a period of instability, with recent leadership changes now bringing a notably positive shift. Safeguarding requirements are met. Inspectors found provision in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing to be secure. Pupils feel safe, behave well, attend better, and are supported through strong pastoral and inclusive provision. Leaders are clear about priorities, staff feel supported, and the personal development and enrichment offer is a strength. The main weaknesses are in achievement and the quality of education for some pupils. Historically, too many children have left Year 6 without secure reading, writing and mathematics, and outcomes have been below national averages, with disadvantaged pupils' results and gap particularly poor. Teaching quality is variable: expectations are not always high enough, scaffolds and adaptations are not consistently used, and greater-depth pupils are not always challenged. Recent improvements in phonics, early writing and the wider curriculum are positive but too new to show full impact. Early years also needs further work. The curriculum is sequenced and relationships are warm, but staff do not always make the most of learning opportunities, and early writing, pencil grip and letter formation are not taught consistently enough to prepare children well for Year 1. Leaders know what needs to improve and have appropriate strategies in place, but they must now embed consistency so that all pupils secure basic skills and access the curriculum successfully.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Attendance is rigorously monitored and has improved, including for pupils who are persistently absent.
• Pupils are polite, caring and well-mannered, creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
• Strengthened behaviour systems and clear routines help create calm and respectful environments.
• Bullying is rare, and pupils know staff will support them if it occurs.
• Inclusion is a clear priority, and staff identify pupils' needs through robust processes.
• The school provides strong support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, young carers, pupils with EAL and looked-after children.
• Recent leadership changes have made a notable and highly positive difference.
• Leaders consider staff wellbeing, and staff feel supported and positive about working at the school.
• Phonics is taught consistently and with fidelity to the programme.
• The personal development curriculum is well sequenced and covers safety, relationships and health.
• Pastoral care is a strength, with trained staff providing targeted support for emotional and social needs.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, leadership roles and memorable trips and activities.
• Early years staff build warm relationships that help children settle well and develop secure attachments.

Areas for Improvement

• Historical weaknesses mean too many pupils do not secure reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Achievement over time is inconsistent and below national averages in key measures.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment is far below national averages, with a large disadvantage gap.
• Teaching quality is variable, and expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.
• Scaffolds and adaptations are not consistently made available to all learners.
• Teachers do not always challenge pupils working at greater depth sufficiently.
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could because provision is not consistently adapted.
• Improvements to the curriculum and early writing are recent and their full impact is not yet evident.
• Early years staff sometimes do not make the most of opportunities to develop children's learning.
• Early years staff do not consistently ensure children hold a pencil or form letters correctly before writing sentences.
• Early writing weaknesses mean children are not always as ready for Year 1 as they should be.
• Leaders need to improve consistency in adapting learning so all pupils can access the curriculum.
• Leaders need to ensure teaching secures basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics from early years to Year 6.
• Leaders need to ensure the youngest children are taught correct letter formation and pencil grip.

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 Longfields Primary and Nursery School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.1% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Longfields Primary and Nursery 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 Longfields Primary and Nursery School had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% 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, 19.2% of pupils at Longfields Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Longfields Primary and Nursery School received £7,247 and spent £7,420 for each of its 350 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £386,000 (£1,102 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).

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What is Longfields Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Longfields Primary and Nursery School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Longfields Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Longfields Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Longfields Primary and Nursery School have?

Longfields Primary and Nursery School has 354 pupils on roll.

What age range does Longfields Primary and Nursery School cover?

Longfields Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Longfields Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Longfields Primary and Nursery School?

Longfields Primary and Nursery School is at Longfields, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 6QL.