Heron Primary School

Gloucester · GL4 4BN

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 402 pupils, 16.2% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.4% on SEN support Behaviour 5.8% absence rate Staff 17.1% turnover Financials £6,051 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Heron Primary School

General Information

Address: Heron Way, Abbeydale, Gloucester, GL4 4BN – View on map
Phone: 01452415105
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Claire Brookes
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 49 families put it first for 60 places – 8 for every 10 places. 96% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 7 · 2025 8 · 2026 8
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

402 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 65
% eligible for free school meals: 16.2%
Pupil mix: 5 in 10 (less mixed than the Gloucester average)
English as an additional language: 12% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 17.1% a year (Gloucester 15.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 61% moved to another school, 39% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Gloucestershire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 9 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 11 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Gloucestershire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 12.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 12.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 25 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 15 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2019 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 55% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points below the Gloucester average (59%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 59% against an expected 68%)
3-year average (expected standard): 59%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 76% · Writing 78% · Maths 66% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 79%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 103
Based on: 58 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolGloucester averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points below the Gloucester average (59%).

Year 6 SATs: 18th of 27 junior and primary schools in the area

#16St James' Church of England Junior School57%
#17Kingsholm Church of England Primary School56%
#18Heron Primary School55%
#19St Paul's Church of England Primary School47%
#20Meadowside Primary School45%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Harewood Junior School81%
#2Finlay Community School80%
=3Barnwood Church of England Primary School78%
=3Dinglewell Junior School78%
#5St Peter's Catholic Primary School75%
#6Hempsted Church of England Primary School73%
#7Kingsway Primary School72%
#8Field Court Junior School71%
=9Clearwater Church of England Primary Academy67%
=9Coney Hill Community Primary School67%
#11Elmbridge Primary School66%
#12Abbeymead Primary School61%
#13Longlevens Junior School60%
=14Beech Green Primary School59%
=14Waterwells Primary Academy59%
#16St James' Church of England Junior School57%
#17Kingsholm Church of England Primary School56%
#18Heron Primary School55%
#19St Paul's Church of England Primary School47%
#20Meadowside Primary School45%
#21Linden Primary School43%
#22Calton Primary School40%
=23Hillside Primary School38%
=23Tredworth Junior School38%
#25Widden Primary School36%
#26Grange Primary Academy34%
#27Willow Primary Academy18%

View full Ofsted inspection report

7th of 17 primary schools in Gloucester for Ofsted rating

#5Finlay Community SchoolGood
#6Hempsted Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#7Heron Primary SchoolGood
#8Hillside Primary SchoolGood
#9Linden Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Abbeymead Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Barnwood Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#3Coney Hill Community Primary SchoolGood
#4Elmbridge Primary SchoolGood
#5Finlay Community SchoolGood
#6Hempsted Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#7Heron Primary SchoolGood
#8Hillside Primary SchoolGood
#9Linden Primary SchoolGood
#10Meadowside Primary SchoolGood
#11St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12St Peter's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#13Waterwells Primary AcademyGood
#14Willow Primary AcademyGood
#15Beech Green Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#16Calton Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#17Widden Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,051 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

19th of 21 primary schools in Gloucester for spending per pupil

#17Abbeymead Primary School£6,090
#18St Peter's Catholic Primary School£6,069
#19Heron Primary School£6,051
#20Elmbridge Primary School£5,903
#21Clearwater Church of England Primary Academy£5,583

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Willow Primary Academy£12,901
#2Calton Primary School£8,629
#3Coney Hill Community Primary School£8,604
#4St Paul's Church of England Primary School£8,178
#5Hempsted Church of England Primary School£7,386
#6Kingsway Primary School£7,349
#7Kingsholm Church of England Primary School£7,276
#8Hillside Primary School£7,070
#9Grange Primary Academy£6,996
#10Widden Primary School£6,824
#11Finlay Community School£6,777
#12Linden Primary School£6,722
#13Beech Green Primary School£6,719
#14Barnwood Church of England Primary School£6,691
#15Waterwells Primary Academy£6,380
#16Meadowside Primary School£6,191
#17Abbeymead Primary School£6,090
#18St Peter's Catholic Primary School£6,069
#19Heron Primary School£6,051
#20Elmbridge Primary School£5,903
#21Clearwater Church of England Primary Academy£5,583

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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