Dursley Church of England Primary Academy

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy is a happy, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to 'together shine brightly'. Inspectors found the school performing well across all key judgements. A revised, ambitious curriculum is helping pupils know and remember more, and pupils are rising to the school's high expectations, although historic 2024 outcomes do not yet reflect these improvements. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been leadership changes, including a new headteacher from September 2024. The school is part of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust. Strengths include strong early reading teaching, effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, calm and orderly behaviour, and a broad personal development programme. Pupils take on responsibilities and contribute to the community. Attendance is improving because the school tracks it carefully and works closely with families. Staff feel well supported, governance is accurate, and safeguarding is effective. The main areas for improvement concern assessment and early writing. Assessment is not developed well enough in some wider curriculum subjects, so checks are not used as effectively to strengthen the curriculum and address gaps in pupils' knowledge from the previous curriculum. In some cases, pupils also move on to more complex writing tasks before they are secure in letter formation and handwriting.

Strengths

• Ambitious, well-designed curriculum helps pupils know and remember more
• Strong daily reading teaching with swift support for pupils who need it
• Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well in a calm, orderly environment
• Inclusive provision quickly identifies and supports pupils with SEND
• Comprehensive personal development programme prepares pupils for modern Britain
• Pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities and contribute to the community
• Attendance is improving through meticulous tracking and strong family relationships
• Staff feel well supported and governance has an accurate understanding of the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not sufficiently developed in some wider curriculum subjects
• Checks in some subjects are not used effectively to strengthen the curriculum
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge from the previous curriculum
• Some pupils move to complex writing tasks before securing letter formation and handwriting
• Historic 2024 outcomes do not yet reflect the improved curriculum

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 Dursley Church of England Primary Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.4% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Dursley Church of England 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 Dursley Church of England Primary Academy had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.4% 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, 12.0% of pupils at Dursley Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Dursley Church of England Primary Academy received £6,721 and spent £6,681 for each of its 256 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £163,000 (£637 per pupil).

Across all 25 schools of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, income was £6,887 and spending £6,916 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 Dursley · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy is part of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Coaley Church of England Primary Academy Dursley
• Amberley Parochial School Stroud
• St Matthew's Church of England Primary School Stroud
• Lakefield CofE Primary School Gloucester
• Minchinhampton Primary Academy Stroud
• Whiteshill Primary School Stroud
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Tetbury
• Primrose Hill Church of England Primary Academy Lydney
• Longney Church of England Primary Academy Gloucester
• Hardwicke Parochial Primary Academy Gloucester

What is Dursley Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dursley Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Dursley Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Dursley Church of England Primary Academy have?

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy has 241 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dursley Church of England Primary Academy cover?

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Dursley Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Dursley Church of England Primary Academy?

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy is at School Road, Dursley, Gloucestershire, GL11 4NZ.