Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School is a welcoming, caring school where pupils feel safe, behave exceptionally well and make a strong contribution to school life. The quality of education is strong, the curriculum is ambitious and reading is a particular priority, with children getting an early start in phonics and confident readers across the school. Personal development is a standout feature: pupils show empathy, kindness and a strong sense of justice, and they understand how to stay safe online and in the community. The school has improved since its previous inspection, when it was judged to require improvement. Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils, staff are well supported, and parents are very positive about the improvements and pastoral care. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given; the school is part of the Cambrian Learning Trust. There are still areas to refine. Teachers do not always use checks on pupils’ understanding consistently, so misconceptions can be missed and pupils are not always helped to build on what they already know. In the early years, some staff interactions are less consistent and do not always deepen children’s learning.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and inclusive school community where pupils feel safe and listened to
• Pupils behave in an exemplary manner and consistently model the school’s values
• Strong personal development with high levels of empathy, kindness and social responsibility
• Ambitious curriculum that builds secure foundations from the early years upwards
• Reading is highly prioritised, with early phonics and effective catch-up support
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and accurately and receive effective support
• Pupils achieve well and develop broad knowledge alongside secure reading, writing and mathematics
• Attendance is good, with effective action for the small number of pupils who need support
• Leaders and governance are ambitious, diligent and supportive of staff well-being
• Pupils value leadership opportunities and develop as active, responsible citizens

Areas for Improvement

• Systems to check pupils’ understanding are not used consistently across the school
• Staff sometimes miss pupils’ misconceptions or do not help them build on secure prior knowledge
• Some early years staff interactions are less consistent and do not always deepen children’s learning

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 Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.1% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Longcot and Fernham Church of England 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 Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School had 22.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% 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, 18.0% of pupils at Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.8% 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 2024–25 Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School received £6,757 and spent £7,490 for each of its 132 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £97,000 (£737 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Cambrian Learning Trust, income was £5,520 and spending £5,502 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 Faringdon · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School is part of Cambrian Learning Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Watchfield Primary School Watchfield
• Faringdon Community College Faringdon
• Shrivenham Church of England School Swindon
• Folly View Primary Faringdon
• The Elms Primary School Faringdon
• Ashbury With Compton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School Oxfordshire
• Buckland Church of England Primary School Faringdon
• St Nicholas CofE Primary School Wantage
• St Johns CofE Academy Wantage
• Millbrook Primary School Wantage

What is Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School have?

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School has 133 pupils on roll.

What age range does Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School cover?

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School?

Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School is at Kings Lane, Longcot, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7SY.