Northbourne Church of England Primary School

Northbourne Church of England Primary School is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and attend regularly. Inspectors found the school meeting the expected standard in each inspected area, with safeguarding requirements met. Leaders have built an ambitious, broad curriculum, prioritise reading and phonics, and provide strong pastoral and inclusion support, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff feel well supported, and governance and trust support are effective. Pupils generally achieve well, and recent school information shows improvement in phonics, early years and writing, but published outcomes have been mixed and improvement in mathematics is less evident. Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes have been well below national averages over time, although leaders have renewed their focus on this. Teaching is generally strong, but assessment is not always precise enough to identify misconceptions quickly, and handwriting expectations are inconsistent. The main next steps are to sharpen assessment and responsive teaching, strengthen review and monitoring of SEND provision, and improve early years interactions so children's language and thinking are extended consistently. The school is part of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust.

Strengths

• Warm, inclusive and caring school culture where pupils feel safe and valued
• Strong attendance, with rates above national averages and effective support for vulnerable families
• High expectations for behaviour; pupils are respectful, calm and rarely disruptive
• Ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum sequenced to support mixed-age classes
• Reading is a priority, with consistent phonics teaching helping most pupils become confident readers
• Effective inclusion and SEND support, including the Phoenix provision for pupils with complex needs
• Well-considered personal development and pastoral support that builds confidence and responsibility
• Leaders identify the right priorities and provide professional development that staff value
• Governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge, with strong trust backing
• Early years provision is calm and inclusive, with children settling quickly and developing independence
• Pupil premium strategy supports wider development and participation in clubs, trips and responsibilities

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently precise enough to identify misconceptions and adapt teaching promptly
• Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge because misunderstandings are not addressed quickly
• Improvement in mathematics is less evident, including pupils' fluency
• Handwriting and letter formation expectations are not consistently reinforced
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment has been well below national averages over time
• Leaders are still refining how they distinguish needs met through high-quality teaching from additional SEND provision
• Evaluation and review of SEND provision and progress over time need sharpening
• Early years staff do not consistently maximise interactions to extend children's language and thinking
• Pupils cannot readily identify or explain fundamental British values
• Pupils' knowledge and understanding of different faiths and beliefs could be further developed

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 Northbourne Church of England Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Northbourne 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 Northbourne Church of England Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.1% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Northbourne Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 Northbourne Church of England Primary School received £6,186 and spent £6,056 for each of its 333 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £359,000 (£1,080 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, income was £7,225 and spending £7,175 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 Didcot · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Northbourne Church of England Primary School is part of Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• Blewbury Church of England Primary School Didcot
• South Moreton Primary School Didcot
• The Hendreds Church of England School Wantage
• St Nicholas CofE Primary School , Wallingford Wallingford
• Fir Tree Primary School Wallingford
• St Laurence Church of England School Wallingford
• Benson Church of England Primary School Wallingford
• Streatley Church of England Primary School Reading
• Grove Church of England School Wantage
• John Henry Newman Academy Oxford

What is Northbourne Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northbourne Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Northbourne Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northbourne Church of England Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Northbourne Church of England Primary School have?

Northbourne Church of England Primary School has 343 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northbourne Church of England Primary School cover?

Northbourne Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Northbourne Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northbourne Church of England Primary School?

Northbourne Church of England Primary School is at Cockcroft Road, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8LJ.