St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School

St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and are known by staff. Inspectors found strong pastoral support, positive relationships with families and effective work on attendance, including notable improvement for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are confident about keeping themselves safe, including online, and the school's specialist resourced provision, The Lighthouse, is praised by parents for the care it provides. Safeguarding is effective and staff feel valued and well supported. However, achievement is a significant concern. Results have been below national averages over time, particularly in reading, and disadvantaged pupils achieve less well than disadvantaged pupils nationally, with a gap that remains too wide. Some pupils do not develop the reading, writing and mathematics skills they need, and gaps persist because learning is not revisited and practised regularly enough. Teachers do not consistently use precise assessment to adapt work to pupils' starting points, including for pupils with SEND. Curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion and leadership and governance also need attention. Early years practice does not always build on what children already know, and Reception assessment information is not used well to shape Year 1. Leaders have identified the right priorities and provide support that staff value, but improvement actions have not yet secured better outcomes, professional development is not always sharply targeted, and governors do not yet evaluate impact or challenge leaders consistently enough.

Strengths

• Caring, inclusive culture where pupils feel safe and valued
• Strong pastoral support and positive relationships with families
• Pupils behave well and treat each other kindly and respectfully
• Attendance is now in line with national averages, with notable improvement for pupils with SEND
• Personal development and wellbeing are a strength
• Safeguarding standards are met
• Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online and in the community
• The Lighthouse specialist provision is well regarded by parents for its care
• Staff feel valued and supported and work as a cohesive team
• Leaders have identified the right improvement priorities
• Pupils benefit from clubs, trips, responsibilities and community visits
• The curriculum is broad and typically well designed

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is below national averages over time, particularly in reading
• Too many pupils do not secure the knowledge and skills needed for the next stage
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve less well than disadvantaged pupils nationally, and the gap remains too wide
• Teachers do not have a precise enough understanding of pupils' starting points
• Assessment checks are not precise enough to adapt teaching and close gaps
• Pupils do not regularly revisit and practise learning they find difficult
• Teachers are inconsistent in adapting teaching for pupils with SEND
• SEND strategies are not always specific enough or consistently applied
• Leaders do not always precisely review the impact of SEND strategies
• Early years curriculum does not always build on what children already know and can do
• Reception assessment information is not used well to shape Year 1 learning
• Some early years activities lack sufficient adult interaction and careful planning for language, mathematics and fine motor skills
• Leaders' improvement actions have not yet secured the needed improvements in outcomes
• Professional development is not always sharply targeted to areas of greatest need
• Governors do not consistently use performance information to evaluate impact or challenge leaders

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 St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.4% 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, 1.0% of pupils at St Matthew's Bloxam 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 St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School had 19.9 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, 18.6% of pupils at St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.5% 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 St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School received £9,094 and spent £8,645 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £449,000 (£2,256 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 Rugby · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School have?

St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School cover?

St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School?

St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School is at Webb Ellis Road, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 7AU.