Parsons Down Junior School

West Berkshire · RG19 3SR

General information Junior School · 7-11 years Who goes here 139 pupils, 17.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 25.2% on SEN support Behaviour 5.6% absence rate Staff 22.5% turnover Financials £8,165 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Parsons Down Junior School

General Information

Address: Herons Way, Thatcham, RG19 3SR – View on map
Phone: 01635866700
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Catherine Bull
Age range: 7-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

139 pupils out of 360 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 24
% eligible for free school meals: 17.3%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the West Berkshire average)
English as an additional language: 13% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 22.5% a year (West Berkshire 19.2%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 37% moved to another school, 63% 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. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

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 West Berkshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 2 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 6 (0.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 2 (0.2 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 West Berkshire, 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: 5.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 14.9%
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: 25.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 5 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil
Vision impairment: 1 pupil
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

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 2022 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: 39% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 18 percentage points below the West Berkshire average (57%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 45% against an expected 60%)
3-year average (expected standard): 45%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 54% · Writing 54% · Maths 49% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 60%
Average test scores: reading 101, maths 101
Based on: 57 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 schoolWest Berkshire 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 18 percentage points below the West Berkshire average (57%).

Year 6 SATs: 46th of 52 junior and primary schools in the area

=42Lambourn CofE Primary School48%
#45St Joseph's Catholic Primary School45%
#46Parsons Down Junior School39%
#47Long Lane Primary School38%
#48Welford and Wickham C.E. Primary School36%

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

=1Bradfield C.E. Primary School92%
=1Enborne C.E. Primary School92%
#3Theale C.E. Primary School89%
#4Yattendon C.E. Primary School80%
=5Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery77%
=5St Paul's Catholic Primary School77%
#7Birch Copse Primary School72%
#8St Finian's Catholic Primary School71%
#9Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School70%
=10Englefield C.E. Primary School69%
=10Springfield Primary School69%
=12Brightwalton C.E. Aided Primary School67%
=12Mortimer St Mary's C.E. Junior School67%
=12The Ilsleys Primary School67%
=15Kennet Valley Primary School66%
=15The Willows Primary School66%
=17Falkland Primary School65%
=17Hungerford Primary School65%
#19Purley CofE Primary School62%
=20Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School61%
=20Downsway Primary School61%
=22Hermitage Primary School60%
=22Shaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary School60%
#24Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet School59%
=25Francis Baily Primary School58%
=25Westwood Farm Junior School58%
#27Whitelands Park Primary School57%
=28Pangbourne Primary School56%
=28Woolhampton C.E. Primary School56%
=30Curridge Primary School55%
=30Speenhamland School55%
=32Garland Junior School54%
=32St Nicolas C.E. Junior School54%
=32Stockcross C.E. School54%
=35Bucklebury C.E. Primary School53%
=35Fir Tree Primary School and Nursery53%
=37Calcot Junior School51%
=37Thatcham Park CofE Primary51%
=37The Winchcombe School51%
#40Burghfield St Mary's C.E. Primary School50%
#41Spurcroft Primary School49%
=42Aldermaston C.E. Primary School48%
=42Chieveley Primary School48%
=42Lambourn CofE Primary School48%
#45St Joseph's Catholic Primary School45%
#46Parsons Down Junior School39%
#47Long Lane Primary School38%
#48Welford and Wickham C.E. Primary School36%
#49Shefford C.E. Primary School33%
#50Kintbury St Mary's C.E. Primary School26%
#51Brimpton C.E. Primary School20%
#52Beenham Primary School0%

View full Ofsted inspection report

2nd of 3 junior schools in West Berkshire for Ofsted rating

#1Calcot Junior SchoolGood
#2Parsons Down Junior SchoolGood
#3Westwood Farm Junior 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

#1Calcot Junior SchoolGood
#2Parsons Down Junior SchoolGood
#3Westwood Farm Junior SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,165 (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.

2nd of 5 junior schools in West Berkshire for spending per pupil

#1Garland Junior School£8,370
#2Parsons Down Junior School£8,165
#3Calcot Junior School£7,190
#4St Nicolas C.E. Junior School£6,531

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

#1Garland Junior School£8,370
#2Parsons Down Junior School£8,165
#3Calcot Junior School£7,190
#4St Nicolas C.E. Junior School£6,531
#5Mortimer St Mary's C.E. Junior School£6,319

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

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