Muscliff Primary School

Muscliff Primary School has been assessed as a good school overall, demonstrating solid performance across all inspected domains. The school effectively fosters positive behavior and good attitudes among its pupils, who are eager to learn and participate actively in their education. The staff’s commitment to the curriculum and the careful planning of extra-curricular activities contribute to the development of students’ skills and social values. Furthermore, the school emphasizes personal development, with effective support systems in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they progress successfully through the curriculum. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in some foundation subjects where the curriculum's specifics and sequencing need clarification. In addition, assessment practices for gauging pupils' understanding require refinement to better identify knowledge gaps. The school's leadership is proactive and open to improvement, aiming to address these areas to ensure all students are adequately prepared for their next educational steps.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate eagerness to learn and regular attendance.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well-structured.
• Effective teaching of reading contributes to high reading proficiency by Year 1.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a safe learning environment.
• Children with SEND receive effective support and integration into school life.
• The school promotes positive behavior and personal development through various activities.

Areas for Improvement

• In some foundation subjects, curriculum content and sequence are not clearly outlined.
• Assessment practices do not always effectively identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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 Muscliff Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Muscliff 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 Muscliff Primary School had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% 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, 14.0% of pupils at Muscliff Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Muscliff Primary School received £6,391 and spent £6,346 for each of its 560 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £281,000 (£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

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What is Muscliff Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Muscliff Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Muscliff Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Muscliff Primary School have?

Muscliff Primary School has 528 pupils on roll.

What age range does Muscliff Primary School cover?

Muscliff Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Muscliff Primary School?

Muscliff Primary School is at Broadway Lane, Throop, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 0AB.