Churchend Primary Academy

Churchend Primary Academy is a warm, welcoming and inclusive school where pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well. This full inspection in September 2026 found the school meeting the expected standard across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding met. Leaders have built a broad, ambitious curriculum, prioritise reading and writing, and provide effective early years provision and strong pastoral and inclusion support. Pupils benefit from positive relationships, high behavioural expectations and a wide range of personal development opportunities. Leadership and governance are secure, staff are proud to work at the school, and trust support is valued. Most pupils attend regularly and outcomes are broadly in line with national averages, with reading and mathematics often above average in recent years. However, assessment checks are not consistently used to identify and address misconceptions and gaps, and attendance remains less consistent for a small group of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils. Published data also show higher overall and persistent absence than national averages in 2024/25 and a disadvantage gap in some combined and writing measures. The school's next steps are to sharpen how staff identify and close learning gaps and to sustain work improving attendance, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and inclusive culture with positive relationships across the school
• Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well in lessons
• High expectations for behaviour supported by robust systems and tailored support
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with secure subject knowledge and effective modelling
• Strong focus on reading and writing, including timely intervention for pupils who need support
• Ambitious early years provision that builds on children's starting points and prioritises phonics
• Effective inclusion and pastoral support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Secure leadership and governance, with valued trust support and regular review
• Staff feel proud to work at the school and value workload consideration and professional development
• Wide range of clubs, trips and leadership roles that develop pupils' talents and personal development
• Pupils develop independence, resilience and a secure understanding of British values and safety

Areas for Improvement

• Variation in teachers' checks means misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are not consistently identified and addressed
• Attendance remains less secure for a small group of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils
• Overall absence and persistent absence were above national averages in 2024/25
• Published data show a disadvantage gap in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics

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 Churchend Primary Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.8% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Churchend Primary Academy 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 Churchend Primary Academy had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.1% 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, 9.0% of pupils at Churchend Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 2024–25 Churchend Primary Academy received £6,793 and spent £6,983 for each of its 419 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £371,000 (£885 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Orchard Learning Alliance, income was £5,741 and spending £6,102 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Reading · Reading local authority: places and applications

Churchend Primary Academy is part of Orchard Learning Alliance, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Hillside Primary School Reading
• Radstock Primary School Reading
• Highwood Primary School Reading
• Lambs Lane Primary School Reading
• South Lake Primary School Reading
• Hawkedon Primary School Reading
• Willow Bank Infant School Reading
• Willow Bank Junior School Reading
• Waingels Reading

What is Churchend Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Churchend Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Churchend Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Churchend Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Churchend Primary Academy have?

Churchend Primary Academy has 401 pupils on roll.

What age range does Churchend Primary Academy cover?

Churchend Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Churchend Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Churchend Primary Academy?

Churchend Primary Academy is at Usk Road, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 4HP.