Shaftesbury Primary School

Shaftesbury Primary School is a large primary school in the Boleyn Trust, serving a community with above-average deprivation. It is performing exceptionally well across almost all areas. Pupils achieve highly in national tests and assessments, including disadvantaged pupils, who outperform non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and early years are all exceptionally strong. The school is especially effective at building foundational knowledge, supporting pupils with SEND or who join mid-year, and helping young children catch up quickly, particularly in reading, writing, phonics and communication and language. Behaviour and attitudes are exemplary, pupils feel safe, and personal development is strong. Inclusion and leadership and governance are also strong, with leaders knowing their community well and the trust providing effective support and challenge. Safeguarding standards are met. A new headteacher took up post in September 2025. The main concern is attendance. Overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, although the report notes that attendance is improving quickly and persistent absence is reducing swiftly. The next step is for leaders and those responsible for governance to maintain and build on their highly effective attendance work, including swift support and challenge for families whose children’s attendance needs to improve.

Strengths

• Exceptionally high pupil achievement across all year groups, with progress and attainment consistently well above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve particularly strongly and outperform non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Highly ambitious curriculum and expert teaching build deep foundational knowledge from the start.
• Early years provision is exceptionally strong, especially in early reading, writing, phonics and language development.
• Inclusion is strong, with well-targeted support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those joining mid-year.
• Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exemplary, and the school is calm and happy.
• Personal development is rich, with strong PSHE, British values, diversity education and wider opportunities.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with strong trust support and a clear focus on pupils’ needs.
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains the main area for improvement: overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, despite rapid improvement.

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 Shaftesbury Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.6% 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 Shaftesbury 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 Shaftesbury Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.8% 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, 8.8% of pupils at Shaftesbury Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Shaftesbury Primary School received £7,685 and spent £8,070 for each of its 621 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,173,000 (£1,890 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Boleyn Trust, income was £9,316 and spending £9,435 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 Newham · Newham local authority: places and applications

Shaftesbury Primary School is part of The Boleyn Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Cleves Primary School London
• Monega Primary School London
• New City Primary School London
• Tollgate Primary School London
• Ravenscroft Primary School London
• Rosetta Primary School London
• The Clara Grant Primary School London

What is Shaftesbury Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shaftesbury Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Shaftesbury Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shaftesbury Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Shaftesbury Primary School have?

Shaftesbury Primary School has 640 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shaftesbury Primary School cover?

Shaftesbury Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shaftesbury Primary School?

Shaftesbury Primary School is at Shaftesbury Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 8PF.