Locking Primary School

Locking Primary School is a highly inclusive school that has improved significantly since its last inspection. Inspectors found strong standards in early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils is a particular strength, with precise adaptations and strong pastoral support. Safeguarding arrangements are met. Pupils feel safe, behave well, and benefit from a broad personal development programme. The school is part of Extend Learning Academies Network and has a specially resourced SEND provision, Treetops, plus a two-year-old provision. However, achievement, attendance and behaviour, and curriculum and teaching are rated at expected standard rather than strong. While phonics and multiplication outcomes are above national averages and disadvantaged pupils achieve well, a minority of pupils do not build deep enough knowledge to reach higher outcomes in national curriculum tests. Some teachers do not consistently identify and correct pupils' misconceptions, which slows progress for some pupils. Attendance and persistent absence have improved but were previously above national averages. Leaders' work to address these gaps is underway but in its early stages. Overall, the school is performing well in many areas, with strong leadership and inclusive practice, but has clear next steps to deepen pupils' learning and ensure consistent checking of understanding.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive school with a strong sense of belonging for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Strong and ambitious leadership with effective governance and trust support.
• Early years provision is vibrant, well sequenced and highly effective, especially for language and early reading.
• High-quality, precise provision for pupils with SEND, including in the Treetops resourced provision.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported and make positive academic and emotional progress.
• Ambitious personal development programme develops British values, character and understanding of difference.
• Phonics and multiplication outcomes are significantly above national averages.
• Pupils behave well, show courtesy and respect, and feel safe; bullying is rare.
• Attendance is in line with national averages and persistent absence is improving.
• Wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities that pupils enjoy and value.

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of pupils do not build deep enough knowledge to secure higher outcomes in national curriculum tests.
• Some staff do not consistently identify pupils' errors and misconceptions, which hinders progress.
• Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics combined remains below the national average on a three-year average.
• Attendance and persistent absence were above national averages in previous years, though improving.
• Leaders' work to close attainment gaps is in its early stages.
• Curriculum and teaching, achievement, and attendance and behaviour are rated at expected standard rather than strong.

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 Locking Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.1% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Locking 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 Locking Primary School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% 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, 24.1% of pupils at Locking Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 9 pupils.

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 Locking Primary School received £8,102 and spent £7,939 for each of its 318 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £156,000 (£492 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Extend Learning Academies Network, income was £7,731 and spending £7,803 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 Weston-Super-Mare · North Somerset local authority: places and applications

Locking Primary School is part of Extend Learning Academies Network, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Mead Vale Community Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Mendip Green Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Banwell Primary School Banwell
• Oldmixon Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Milton Park Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Bournville Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Windwhistle Primary School Weston-Super-Mare
• Walliscote Primary School Weston-Super-Mare

What is Locking Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Locking Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Locking Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Locking Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Locking Primary School have?

Locking Primary School has 386 pupils on roll.

What age range does Locking Primary School cover?

Locking Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Locking Primary School?

Locking Primary School is at Meadow Drive, Locking, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, BS24 8BB.