Watlington Primary School

Watlington Primary School is a happy, ambitious school where pupils feel safe and achieve well. This was its first routine section 5 inspection, and it is part of Acer Trust. Inspectors found strong provision across the board: behaviour and attitudes and early years are outstanding, while quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management are good. Safeguarding is effective. Reading is a particular strength, with systematic phonics, well-targeted support and a strong reading culture. Pupils with SEND are identified and supported highly effectively, and the early years provision is exceptionally well considered, with a strong focus on communication and children’s confidence. Pupils benefit from a rich personal development offer and strong relationships. The main area for improvement is curriculum precision in a few subjects, where leaders have not defined exactly what should be taught and when, so pupils’ knowledge is not always sequenced securely. The school also recognises that teaching of some fundamental British values is less developed than other aspects of personal development. Leaders, governors and trustees understand the school well and staff feel supported.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and are supported by a strong safeguarding culture.
• Behaviour and attitudes are outstanding, with high expectations and sensitive support.
• Teaching reading is a strength, including precise phonics and effective catch-up support.
• Pupils with SEND are identified and supported highly effectively.
• Early years provision is exceptionally well considered, with a strong focus on communication.
• Pupils benefit from a broad and enriching personal development offer.
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of the school values and treat each other well.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders, governors and trustees.
• The school has high ambition for all pupils and lessons are vibrant and focused.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, the precise knowledge pupils need to learn is less well defined, leading to less secure sequencing and gaps in knowledge.
• Teaching about democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law is not yet as fully developed as other personal development areas.

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 Watlington Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.0% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Watlington 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 Watlington Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Watlington 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 Watlington Primary School received £6,064 and spent £6,515 for each of its 217 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £172,000 (£795 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Acer Trust, income was £7,421 and spending £7,382 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.

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All schools in South Oxfordshire · Oxfordshire local authority: places and applications

Watlington Primary School is part of Acer Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Icknield Community College Watlington
• Chalgrove Community Primary School Oxford
• Stadhampton Primary School Oxford
• Matthew Arnold School Oxford
• Botley School Oxford
• The Cooper School Bicester
• Glory Farm Primary School Bicester
• Wood Green School Witney

What is Watlington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Watlington Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Watlington Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Watlington Primary School have?

Watlington Primary School has 227 pupils on roll.

What age range does Watlington Primary School cover?

Watlington Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Watlington Primary School?

Watlington Primary School is at Love Lane, Watlington, Oxfordshire, OX49 5RB.