Stratford-Upon-Avon Primary School

Stratford-Upon-Avon Primary School

Address: Broad Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6HN Unique reference number (URN): 142581

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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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.

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Achievement Strong standard

Pupils achieve well across the school, including in the early years. They progress securely through the curriculum and are well prepared for Year 1. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve above the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics in national tests. This includes disadvantaged pupils. They also perform well in the phonics screening check and the multiplication tables check. Pupils draw links from across their learning and build a secure body of knowledge over time. Pupils consistently explain their learning very well and with enthusiasm, especially pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. Pupils talk positively about the support they receive in and beyond the classroom. They take pride in their work and often produce learning of a high quality. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Attendance is a whole-school priority. Leaders prioritise attendance and promote it effectively across the school. Attendance is above national figures, and pupils’ lateness is very low. Leaders maintain an accurate and detailed understanding of attendance patterns. They track attendance trends closely on an individual-pupil basis and review their work through case studies and pupil voice. This means leaders identify concerns early and act swiftly when needed. Leaders work closely with families to understand and remove barriers to attendance. Leaders celebrate positive attendance through rewards and shared experiences.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Behaviour across the school is calm, orderly and purposeful. Pupils’ learning behaviours across all areas are very positive. Pupils engage well in lessons and support one another successfully in class and at play. Pupils show respect, courtesy and self-discipline. Pupils routinely step aside to allow adults to go first and make room. Pupils invariably manage their emotions smoothly and respond well to adult guidance. Leaders successfully adapt approaches for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. For example, structured conversations and social stories help pupils understand routines and behaviour choices. Although incidents are rare, leaders nevertheless track issues carefully to learn from them.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders prioritise the early years. They have established a clearly organised curriculum that gives children clarity about routines and learning sequences. Leaders select and arrange activities carefully that impact on children’s learning. Leaders identify children's starting points accurately through assessment and screening. They ensure transitions into school are carefully planned and highly effective.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders use targeted approaches that match children's needs and the context of the moment. Teachers adapt this approach well for individual children. They extend language through well-chosen interactions and purposeful teaching. Leaders intervene appropriately when needed. They use clear direction and redirection to sustain focus and support positive behaviour.

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Early years Strong standard

Children settle quickly. They understand routines and engage confidently in learning. Children are focused and fully involved in learning. Children achieve well, feel a clear sense of belonging and are thriving. Leaders ensure interactions are warm, purposeful and rich in language.

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Early years Strong standard

Children have opportunities to write in almost all activities because writing has a very high profile in the curriculum. This means children take frequent opportunities to write and develop early writing skills. The environment is purposefully designed to promote mathematical thinking and learning throughout the day, including outdoors. Children demonstrate secure mathematical understanding for their age.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders prepare children very effectively for the next stage of learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders prioritise inclusion of all pupils through positive relationships. Leaders have ensured that inclusive practice is evident across the school. They ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged can be successful in school. Leaders identify needs swiftly and accurately, including for pupils who have only just joined the school. This helps them address and remove barriers to learning quickly. Pupils who need additional support have clear and measurable targets. Staff map, track and evaluate these targets, providing interventions that have a positive impact. This means pupils make rapid progress and move through different levels of support. Leaders use external agency advice, including from link educational psychologists, to strengthen assessment and support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Within lessons, staff adapt provision purposefully. Well-trained staff and targeted resources help pupils to make positive progress through the curriculum. Leaders also ensure that all pupils access wider enrichment and learning opportunities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to widen access and reduce barriers. Pupils value this support. They take pride in the opportunities available to them, such as helping in the school garden. Leaders select alternative provision carefully and review its suitability, rightly changing the provision to meet pupils’ needs.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders make deliberate choices that connect improvement work across the school. They analyse data in detail, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for attendance. Leaders use data to identify trends and take action, including recent work to improve writing outcomes further. Leaders know pupils well and act in their best interests. Parents are wholly positive about the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors and trust leadership are astute and highly effective. Well-informed trust leaders have secured suitable support and challenge for school leaders. Leaders ensure a clear flow of information, which helps them check their view of the school is accurate. Governance systems are strategic and effective. In this school, these systems lead to impactful support.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff development and wellbeing remain clear priorities. Staff value the care shown by leaders and feel listened to. Leaders manage workload thoughtfully so teachers can focus on what matters most. They provide staff with sustained professional learning so they are well equipped to deliver the curriculum and create positive experiences for all pupils. Early career teachers work in a supportive learning environment. Leaders use funding, including pupil premium and sport premium, to remove barriers, improve participation and raise the quality of teaching for all.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders tailor the personal, social, health and economic education programme carefully to the school’s context and to pupils’ aspirations. Leaders have established a thoughtful process for teaching pupils about careers. It is a notable feature of the school's work. Pupils benefit from understanding the world of work and the wide variety of options available to them. Leaders invite parents with professional skills into school to enhance the offer for pupils. Leaders systematically track how disadvantaged pupils engage with the career framework.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils cooperate well and contribute actively to the inclusive school community. Pupils are confident, resilient and independent. Pupils understand risks to their wellbeing and how to make safe and healthy choices. Pupils discuss fundamental British values and the importance of keeping mentally and physically healthy. Overall, pupils have developed detailed knowledge across the personal, social, health and economic education programme.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the full range of experiences. Leaders monitor and adapt the programme so that it remains relevant and meaningful. Leaders plan a wealth of enrichment activities that enhance pupils' learning and life experiences. For example, leaders have created a progressive curriculum of educational visits. Pupils build up their learning through these experiences to explore, understand and benefit from the city that they live in and the history of Stratford-upon-Avon. Pupils readily share their learning from these experiences.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn about relationships, sex and health education that is comprehensive and responsive to pupils’ needs. Pupils develop self-esteem and enhance their mental wellbeing through carefully arranged pastoral support. The school's overall approach means that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. They develop confidence and resilience alongside a secure awareness of the wider world and the opportunities in it.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have created a broad and balanced curriculum that reflects the school's context and priorities. Pupils learn curriculum content that reflects the local area of Stratford, including links to the River Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Staff have clearly identified curriculum sequences.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They make changes where needed to further support pupils' learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the teaching of early reading, writing and mathematics. Teaching consistently secures pupils' knowledge and skills in these areas. Phonics is taught systematically and consistently. Pupils typically demonstrate secure phonics knowledge and read books that are well matched to the sounds they know. Pupils who fall behind in reading receive timely support to help them catch up. This means pupils make suitable progress through the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers use checks on learning that are appropriate. However, at times, questioning lacks precision and does not identify what all pupils know and can do. When this happens, teachers do not always adapt teaching sharply enough in response to pupils' understanding.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are rightly proud to attend this school. At the start of each day, staff welcome pupils, parents and carers as they enter this warm school. Pupils are safe. They know staff will support them if they have any concerns. Pupils behave wonderfully throughout the school day. They are kind to one another and cooperate, for example playing enthusiastically with each other on the playground. Pupils say bullying is rare and that staff quickly intervene.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders value the local community and Stratford-upon-Avon’s history and culture, which are included in the curriculum. Pupils benefit from a calm and focused learning environment. Pupils always listen carefully in lessons. This reflects their keen and positive attitudes to learning. Academically, pupils achieve very well. Most pupils read remarkably well. Across the school, they quickly gain the knowledge they need, and by the time they leave the school, they perform well in key stage 2 national testing.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff are committed to building a culture of belonging, where all pupils are known and cared for. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is high. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other vulnerabilities are included in all areas of school life. Leaders work closely with families to offer and shape support. As a result, pupils thrive.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ time at school is thoughtfully enhanced by a wide range of extra-curricular activities. For example, pupils are enthusiastic about the garden area and the science of growing plants. They name a wide range of vegetables and fruits – courgettes, strawberries, mint, tomatoes and so on. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stages of education, and they feel well supported to make the next step.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that questioning techniques and formative assessment are used effectively to check pupils' understanding and ensure that all pupils know more and remember more, particularly in foundation subjects.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Community Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Philip Hamilton OBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Simon Atkins.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors met with leaders of Community Academies Trust. They held meetings with the headteacher, school leaders, teachers and pupils. They looked at pupils' work and books. They also talked to pupils and staff to gather information about school life.

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About this inspection

To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils, and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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About this inspection

Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text comments.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.

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Team inspectors:

Benjamin Taylor, Ofsted Inspector Andrew Teale, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 7 July 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2022/23 (final) 77% 73% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 77% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 43% 47% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 57% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 71% 61% Close to average

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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