Schools & FE · Report card

Wickham Church of England Primary School

Inspected 10 Mar 2026 · published 14 May 2026 · URN 116325

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Ian Howie (lead), James Everett, Sarah Hilditch

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Strong standard
Early years verified
Strong standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
10 Mar 2026
Inspectors verified
Ian Howie, James Everett, Sarah Hilditch
Postcode verified
PO17 5HU
Name on report verified
Wickham Church of England Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
116325

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingStrong
Early yearsStrong
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceStrong
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+79Very positivemore positive than 63% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseeffectivelyeffectiveconsistentlypositivehigh expectationsimprovedsecureambitious

Criticismconcernsgapsdecliningpersistent absence

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1499w+78
Leadership249w+88
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve23w0

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Leaders should continue to embed strategies to help all pupils achieve their best possible outcomes, raising the proportion of pupils achieving higher standards. p.6

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Leadership & governance36
“Leaders have established high expectations, and staff model these consistently.” p.2
Curriculum15
“Leaders have constructed a curriculum that is ambitious and appropriate for the school’s context.” p.2
Reading & phonics13
“In early reading, timely support helps pupils practise the sounds they know.” p.2
Communication & language12
“They talk confidently about the positive relationships that underpin their sense of belonging.” p.5
Progress & outcomes11
“Clear progression supports children’s successful transition into Year 1.” p.3
Wellbeing & mental health9
“They effectively reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing swiftly and effectively.” p.4
SEND & inclusion8
“Leaders' positive relationships with families enable them to tackle barriers effectively, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.” p.2
Behaviour8
“Pupils say that bullying is rare and that adults deal with any incidences swiftly and effectively.” p.5

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,822; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 37, typical 43
Average sentence: 12 words
Next steps: 1; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 2%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 50%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 1%About the inspection 39%

Full report text

Wickham Church of England Primary School

Address: Buddens Road, Wickham, Fareham, Hampshire, PO17 5HU Unique reference number (URN): 116325

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Attendance is broadly in line with the national average, with persistent absence consistently declining year upon year. This reflects leaders’ determined and well-established approach to promoting regular attendance. They analyse attendance information meticulously. They identify patterns quickly and act swiftly to address any concerns. Leaders' positive relationships with families enable them to tackle barriers effectively, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Bespoke support, such as the well-attended ‘bus club’, has secured notably improved attendance and punctuality for pupils who live outside the school’s catchment area or too far to walk to school. These consistent and responsive actions ensure that pupils are in school, ready to learn.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Behaviour across the school is calm, respectful and purposeful. Leaders have established high expectations, and staff model these consistently. Pupils show self-discipline and resilience. They develop a secure sense of themselves as learners. They know how to manage their emotions, including those who need adapted support through nurture and co- regulation approaches. Bullying is rare, and when concerns do arise, staff respond quickly and effectively. From the early years onwards, staff establish clear routines and expectations. This creates an environment that highly supports pupils' learning.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have constructed a curriculum that is ambitious and appropriate for the school’s context. They have prioritised the knowledge pupils need. They have thought carefully about the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities when designing and refining it. The curriculum is for all, and leaders are clear about the progression of knowledge that pupils should secure over time.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers understand the curriculum well. They plan logical sequences of lessons that identify essential knowledge. In lessons, there are regular opportunities for pupils to revisit previous content. This helps pupils make connections and secure their learning. Leaders ensure staff have the subject knowledge they need, including in early reading. Teachers follow the phonics programme with fidelity. In early reading, timely support helps pupils practise the sounds they know. They develop increasing accuracy and fluency.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Regular and rigorous assessments, which leaders review, ensure that pupils keep up with the curriculum. Any gaps in pupils' knowledge are swiftly addressed. Recent refinements to the mathematics curriculum have strengthened pupils’ fluency in the 4 operations and improved their accuracy when reasoning. Across subjects, staff make appropriate adaptations for pupils who need additional help. This means those pupils can access the curriculum confidently.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Children in the early years get off to a positive start. The environment is carefully organised to promote purposeful play, language development and growing independence. Adults interact skilfully with children, extending vocabulary, modelling talk and sensitively guiding learning. Staff work closely with parents to share information about children’s interests and development. The curriculum is coherently mapped across all areas of learning, with a strong focus on communication and language. Clear progression supports children’s successful transition into Year 1.

p.3

Early years Strong standard

Leaders prioritise reading from the outset. Stories shape learning and spark curiosity. Staff deliver phonics with precision. Children practise using decodable books that closely match the sounds they know. Staff check learning often and address any gaps quickly. Staff teach early mathematics with the same rigour. Children develop secure number knowledge, fluency in counting and increasing confidence in using mathematical language.

p.3

Early years Strong standard

Daily routines build children’s responsibility, cooperation and independence. Children maintain focus in their play. Staff model the safe use of resources, including potentially hazardous tools such as saws and hammers. Staff explicitly teach these expectations, enabling children to use the tools safely.

p.3

Early years Strong standard

Staff use assessment effectively to identify needs early. Disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from timely, targeted support. Staff proactively seek out children who are less willingly engaged in some activities. Through supportive interactions, staff ensure that every child accesses the full curriculum.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders identify pupils’ needs precisely, accurately and at the earliest opportunity. This allows leaders and staff to put in place tailored support rapidly. Pupils who need extra help to succeed receive effective help. Staff consistently enhance the experiences of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders maintain rigorous oversight of the support pupils receive. They ensure staff are suitably trained so they can reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. Pupils benefit from approaches such as targeted nurture provision and speech and language support. Leaders monitor the effectiveness of interventions closely. Through pupil progress discussions, case sampling and ongoing reviews of the ‘Grasshoppers’ provision, leaders track pupils' progress and development. Leaders act quickly when they identify the need for change.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders work effectively with a wide range of external professionals. They use specialist advice to shape provision. Positive relationships with families, developed through opportunities like workshops and coffee mornings as well as regular communication, ensure that parents and carers are actively involved in decisions about their children’s needs.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding, including the pupil premium grant, wisely. Staff understand how this funding supports pupils’ learning and wellbeing. Leaders analyse academic outcomes carefully. They check that disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs benefit from targeted strategies. Examples include pastoral support, attendance initiatives and focused academic interventions. These approaches help pupils make effective progress from their starting points.

p.3

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have a precise and well-evidenced understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities. They evaluate provision rigorously. They identify the right improvement actions and systematically check that these have the intended impact across all evaluation areas. Leaders act in the best interests of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those known to children’s social care. They effectively reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing swiftly and effectively. They make decisions rooted in the school’s context and maintain high expectations of pupils and staff.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Professional development is well-planned, sustained and aligned closely to whole-school priorities. Coaching and collaborative work across teams strengthen classroom practice and build collective expertise. Work with outside agencies is timely and effective. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing. They take deliberate steps to protect both when implementing change.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governance is effective. Governors meet their statutory duties. They provide well-judged challenge and support that tests leaders’ evaluations. They maintain a clear line of sight to pupils’ experiences, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Safeguarding oversight is robust. There is effective scrutiny and monitoring in school and of alternative provision.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders’ work with the community is commendable. Thoughtful engagement with families, local organisations and external agencies has contributed to significantly improved and sustained attendance for all groups. Leaders are tenacious in reaching their ambitions that pupils should attend school regularly. When pupils require adaptations to support their attendance or behaviour, leaders review and increase these strategically over time.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Personal development and wellbeing are deeply embedded in the school’s culture. Staff are well trained to deliver the personal, social and health education curriculum effectively. Leaders have strengthened this further through the introduction of an additional mental health and wellbeing scheme. This programme supports pupils’ understanding of themselves and others. Staff introduced this reflective programme in response to growing social and emotional needs across the school. It helps pupils develop emotional literacy, resilience and a secure sense of belonging.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that the wider personal development offer is carefully planned. Staff tailor it to the community’s needs. Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences that broaden their horizons and nurture their talents. Opportunities to take on roles such as ‘eco- councillors’ help pupils learn about responsibility, citizenship and service. Pupils from service families benefit from attending the school’s ‘forces club’. Pupils' attendance at important events, such as the local Remembrance event, reflect leaders’ thoughtful approach to cultural and community engagement.

p.4

Expected standard

Staff teach pupils clearly about healthy relationships. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and offline. They show age-appropriate understanding across all year groups. Pupils are able to discuss right and wrong with increasing understanding. As they progress through the school, pupils can explain the difference between equality and equity, for example. Staff weave important British values through the school’s Christian ethos and wider curriculum. These values shape pupils’ character and integrity. Pupils appreciate the importance of democracy and the school promotes meaningful opportunities for pupils to vote.

p.5

Expected standard

Leaders provide skilled and responsive pastoral support in a number of ways. Examples include effective nurture provision, check-ins and targeted emotional help. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate fully in school life. They benefit from personalised support that reduces barriers to their wellbeing and wider development.

p.5

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils typically make secure progress through the curriculum. Work in books and discussions with pupils show that they recall important knowledge. They can explain how their understanding has developed over time. Leaders’ focus on strengthening early reading, writing, mathematics fluency and communication is evident. Tracking and monitoring of pupils' work show that pupils are gaining in confidence in phonics and mathematics.

p.5

Achievement Expected standard

Although published outcomes at the end of key stage 2 have varied in recent years, progress from starting points have been consistently high for pupils. Leaders' tracking and work in pupils’ books clearly demonstrates the progress that they make. Leaders drive ambitious outcomes for pupils. Pupils' work in books shows that this area is strengthening. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities generally make suitable progress. Most pupils develop the knowledge and skills they need to move confidently to the next stage of their education.

p.5