Hardwick Primary School and Nursery

Hardwick Primary School is a strong, happy school where pupils achieve well, especially in writing and mathematics. The curriculum is well sequenced and prepares pupils well at each stage, while early years provision gives children a very strong start. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive highly effective, targeted support, and phonics and reading are taught very well. Pupils behave exceptionally and show extremely positive attitudes to learning. They benefit from warm relationships, strong personal development opportunities and a wide range of leadership and character-building activities. Governance is strong, and leaders work closely with the GLF Schools Trust and parents to keep improving the school. The main area for improvement is assessment in a small number of subjects, where teachers do not check pupils’ understanding well enough, allowing gaps in knowledge to persist. This was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school is a below-average-sized primary with provision for two-year-olds and is part of the GLF Schools Trust.

Strengths

• Well-sequenced curriculum builds knowledge and prepares pupils for their next steps
• Pupils achieve well, especially in writing and mathematics
• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are exceptional
• Early years provision gives children a very strong start
• Highly effective SEND provision with targeted and precise support
• Strong phonics teaching with swift catch-up support
• Pupils learn to read very well, including pupils with SEND
• Communication and language development are prioritised across the school
• Wide range of opportunities develop pupils’ character and leadership
• Strong governance and effective trust support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, assessment is not used well enough to check pupils’ understanding
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge because misunderstandings are not identified and addressed quickly enough

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 Hardwick Primary School and Nursery attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.1% 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, 3.1% of pupils at Hardwick Primary School and Nursery 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 Hardwick Primary School and Nursery had 19.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.1% 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, 16.5% of pupils at Hardwick Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.0% 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 Hardwick Primary School and Nursery received £7,118 and spent £6,651 for each of its 241 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £219,000 (£910 per pupil).

Across all 42 schools of Glf Schools, income was £7,514 and spending £7,514 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 Banbury · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Hardwick Primary School and Nursery is part of Glf Schools, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• William Morris Primary School Banbury
• Cherry Fields Primary School Banbury
• Longford Park Primary School Banbury
• Manor Primary School Didcot
• Aureus School Didcot
• Aureus Primary School Didcot
• Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre Reading
• Wheatfield Primary School and Nursery Winnersh
• Windmill Primary School and Nursery Wokingham
• Floreat Montague Park Primary School and Nursery Wokingham

What is Hardwick Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hardwick Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Hardwick Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Hardwick Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Hardwick Primary School and Nursery have?

Hardwick Primary School and Nursery has 249 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hardwick Primary School and Nursery cover?

Hardwick Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Hardwick Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Hardwick Primary School and Nursery?

Hardwick Primary School and Nursery is at Ferriston, Hardwick School, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 1XE.