John Blandy Primary School

John Blandy Primary School is performing at the expected standard across all inspected areas, with safeguarding standards met. Inspectors found a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and supported, behave well, and attend consistently above national averages. Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum suited to mixed-age classes, and the early years provision gives children a strong start, particularly in phonics and communication. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported, and disadvantaged pupils generally achieve well. The school benefits from effective trust support and strong governance, and staff report positive support for their wellbeing and workload. Personal development is a notable strength: pupils learn about online safety, respectful relationships and equality, and they take part in a wide range of enrichment and community activities. Achievement in national tests is broadly close to national averages. There are two clear areas for improvement. Teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding consistently or correct mistakes quickly enough, so some pupils repeat errors or develop gaps. The school’s work to improve handwriting fluency and accuracy is at an early stage and not yet fully embedded across subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, welcomed and supported, and they behave responsibly and courteously.
• Attendance is consistently above the national average, and persistent absence is low.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and carefully planned for mixed-age classes.
• Early years provision is strong, especially in phonics, communication and language.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and receive appropriate, well-targeted support.
• The pupil premium strategy is effective and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Governance and trust support provide effective challenge and professional development.
• Personal development is effective, including online safety, relationships and equality education.
• Pupils value leadership roles and a wide range of enrichment and community opportunities.
• Staff are positive about support for their wellbeing, workload and early-career development.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding or correct misconceptions quickly enough.
• Some pupils repeat errors or have gaps in learning because assessment is not used consistently to adapt teaching.
• Pupils’ handwriting fluency and accuracy are inconsistent and the new approach is not yet fully embedded across subjects.

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 John Blandy Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 1.1% of pupils at John Blandy 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 John Blandy Primary School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.3% 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, 16.9% of pupils at John Blandy Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 John Blandy Primary School received £5,967 and spent £5,789 for each of its 282 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £147,000 (£523 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 Abingdon · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is John Blandy Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for John Blandy Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was John Blandy Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

John Blandy Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does John Blandy Primary School have?

John Blandy Primary School has 296 pupils on roll.

What age range does John Blandy Primary School cover?

John Blandy Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is John Blandy Primary School?

John Blandy Primary School is at Laurel Drive, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5DJ.