Charlton Primary School

Charlton Primary School continues to maintain the high standards established during its last inspection. The school has clear ambitions for its pupils, ensuring that they receive comprehensive support regardless of their backgrounds. It excels in fostering pupils' character development, promoting a sense of responsibility, and encouraging community engagement, which contributes to a positive school culture. The administration, particularly through its leadership structure under the Vale Academy Trust, effectively supports both staff and students, building an environment of high expectations and respect.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on character education and community engagement
• High expectations for pupil behavior and conduct
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Innovative extracurricular activities promoting global awareness and respect for diversity
• Well-structured lessons leading to improved outcomes in reading and writing

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in a few subjects lacks clarity on essential knowledge
• Checks on pupils' learning in some subjects are too broad
• Insufficient writing practice opportunities for early stage writers, affecting confidence

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 Charlton Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.2% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Charlton 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 Charlton Primary School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.6% 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, 17.8% of pupils at Charlton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 2023–24 Charlton Primary School received £6,004 and spent £5,969 for each of its 432 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £198,000 (£458 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Cambrian Learning Trust, income was £6,956 and spending £6,911 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 Wantage · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Charlton Primary School is part of Cambrian Learning Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Wantage Church of England Primary School Wantage
• King Alfred's Wantage
• Millbrook Primary School Wantage
• St Johns CofE Academy Wantage
• St Nicholas CofE Primary School Wantage
• St James Church of England Primary School, Hanney Wantage
• John Blandy Primary School Abingdon
• Thameside Primary School Abingdon
• Buckland Church of England Primary School Faringdon
• Larkmead School Abingdon

What is Charlton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Charlton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Charlton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Charlton Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Charlton Primary School have?

Charlton Primary School has 444 pupils on roll.

What age range does Charlton Primary School cover?

Charlton Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Charlton Primary School?

Charlton Primary School is at Charlton Village Road, Wantage, Oxfordshire, OX12 7HG.