Severnbanks Primary School

Severnbanks Primary School is a highly inclusive community school serving a disadvantaged area with a high proportion of pupils with SEND. Inspectors found strong standards in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils attend well, feel safe, behave impeccably, and benefit from an ambitious personal development offer and strong pastoral support. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve well from their starting points. Leadership is a notable strength: leaders are ambitious, act quickly, and are well supported by trustees and the local academy committee. Staff morale is extremely high. Provision for SEND and vulnerable pupils is precise and effective, and relationships with families are strong. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and early years are evaluated at expected standard rather than strong. Pupils generally achieve in line with or above national averages in key measures, but a small number struggle with transcription and handwriting, which limits how well they can show understanding in written work. The early years curriculum is well sequenced and focuses on language development, but staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend children's learning further. The main next step is to continue strengthening handwriting and transcription so pupils can apply these skills confidently across the curriculum.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where pupils and staff thrive.
• Attendance for all groups, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils, is above national average.
• Persistent absence has reduced.
• Pupils behave impeccably and are orderly, respectful and focused.
• Leaders demonstrate a fastidious and unwavering approach to removing barriers for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.
• SEND identification and support are precise, swift and expert, with strong specialist training.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with effective challenge and support from trustees and the local academy committee.
• Staff morale is extremely high and staff feel well supported.
• Personal development programme is impressive, with rich experiences, pupil voice and pastoral support.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve particularly well from low starting points.
• The school is at the heart of its community and has highly positive parent relationships.
• Reading and phonics teaching are effective and pupils develop a love of reading.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of pupils struggle with transcription, such as handwriting, limiting how well they demonstrate understanding in written work.
• Early years staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend children's learning further.

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 Severnbanks Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.7% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Severnbanks 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 Severnbanks Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.4% 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, 25.9% of pupils at Severnbanks Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.4% 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 Severnbanks Primary School received £8,413 and spent £8,424 for each of its 246 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £143,000 (£582 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Severn Federation Academy Trust, income was £8,520 and spending £8,622 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 Lydney · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Severnbanks Primary School is part of Severn Federation Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Lydney Church of England Community School Lydney
• Aylburton Church of England Primary School Lydney
• Bream Church of England Primary School Lydney
• Stone with Woodford Church of England Primary School Berkeley
• Newnham St Peter's Church of England Primary School Newnham
• English Bicknor Church of England Primary School Coleford
• St Helen's Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Rangeworthy Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Iron Acton Church of England Primary School Bristol
• Hawkesbury Church of England Primary School Badminton

What is Severnbanks Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Severnbanks Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Severnbanks Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Severnbanks Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Severnbanks Primary School have?

Severnbanks Primary School has 251 pupils on roll.

What age range does Severnbanks Primary School cover?

Severnbanks Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Severnbanks Primary School?

Severnbanks Primary School is at Naas Lane, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 5AU.