Watchfield Primary School

Vale of White Horse · SN6 8SD

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 315 pupils, 20.8% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 16.2% on SEN support Behaviour 5.5% absence rate Staff 11.4% turnover Financials £4,783 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Watchfield Primary School

General Information

Address: North Street, Watchfield, SN6 8SD – View on map
Phone: 01793782623
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Nick Hatcliffe
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 13 families put it first for 14 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

315 pupils out of 420 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 64
% eligible for free school meals: 20.8%
Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (more mixed than the Vale of White Horse average)
English as an additional language: 37% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 11.4% a year (Vale of White Horse 18.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 50% moved to another school, 50% 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 Oxfordshire: 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: 18 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 2 (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 Oxfordshire (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: 5.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 16.3%
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: 16.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 21 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 11 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 5 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 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

Ofsted report card January 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard
Early years Needs attention
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2021). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 56% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 7 percentage points below the Vale of White Horse average (63%)
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 81% · Writing 74% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 67%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 102
Based on: 43 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 schoolVale of White Horse 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 7 percentage points below the Vale of White Horse average (63%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 29th of 48 junior and primary schools in the area

#28The Elms Primary School61%
=29St Blaise CofE Primary School56%
=29Watchfield Primary School56%
#31The Ridgeway Church of England (C) Primary School55%
=32Botley School53%

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

#1Sunningwell Church of England Primary School100%
#2Buckland Church of England Primary School93%
#3Didcot Primary Academy80%
#4Carswell Community Primary School79%
#5Rush Common School78%
=6Dry Sandford Primary School75%
=6Longworth Primary School75%
=6Radley Church of England Primary School75%
=9St Swithun's CofE Primary School73%
=9Uffington Church of England Primary School73%
=9Wantage Church of England Primary School73%
=12Charlton Primary School72%
=12Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School72%
#14North Hinksey Church of England Primary School71%
=15Millbrook Primary School70%
=15Wantage Primary Academy70%
=15Wootton St Peter's Church of England Primary School70%
#18St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon69%
=19Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)67%
=19St Amand's Catholic Primary School67%
=21Appleton Church of England (A) Primary School65%
=21Chilton County Primary School65%
=21John Blandy Primary School65%
=24Caldecott Primary School64%
=24The Hendreds Church of England School64%
#26Thomas Reade Primary School63%
#27Harwell Primary School62%
#28The Elms Primary School61%
=29St Blaise CofE Primary School56%
=29Watchfield Primary School56%
#31The Ridgeway Church of England (C) Primary School55%
=32Botley School53%
=32St Nicholas CofE Primary School53%
#34Sutton Courtenay Church of England Primary School52%
=35Dunmore Primary School50%
=35Grove Church of England School50%
=35St Edmund's Catholic Primary School50%
=35Stanford In the Vale CofE Primary School50%
=35Stockham Primary School50%
=40Shrivenham Church of England School48%
=40Thameside Primary School48%
=42Ashbury With Compton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School47%
=42Drayton Community Primary School47%
=42Long Furlong Primary School47%
=42Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School47%
#46St James Church of England Primary School, Hanney45%
#47Marcham Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School43%
#48Blewbury Church of England Primary School27%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £4,783 (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.

45th of 50 primary schools in Vale of White Horse for spending per pupil

#43Rush Common School£5,625
#44St Michael's CofE Primary School, Steventon Village£4,900
#45Watchfield Primary School£4,783
#46St Nicholas CofE Primary School£4,519
#47St James Church of England Primary School, Hanney£4,187

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

#1Ashbury With Compton Beauchamp Church of England Primary School£9,958
#2Longworth Primary School£9,921
#3St Amand's Catholic Primary School£8,750
#4Blewbury Church of England Primary School£8,557
#5Sunningwell Church of England Primary School£8,412
#6Wootton St Peter's Church of England Primary School£8,407
#7St Edmund's Catholic Primary School£7,940
#8Uffington Church of England Primary School£7,930
#9The Ridgeway Church of England (C) Primary School£7,775
#10Harwell Primary School£7,753
#11Shellingford Church of England (Voluntary Aided) School£7,742
#12Longcot and Fernham Church of England Primary School£7,485
#13Botley School£7,450
#14Buckland Church of England Primary School£7,231
#15St Blaise CofE Primary School£7,150
#16The Elms Primary School£7,136
#17Caldecott Primary School£7,133
#18Sutton Courtenay Church of England Primary School£7,038
#19Shrivenham Church of England School£7,012
#20Carswell Community Primary School£6,993
#21Folly View Primary£6,967
#22Dry Sandford Primary School£6,889
#23Marcham Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School£6,874
#24Stockham Primary School£6,844
#25Drayton Community Primary School£6,809
#26Grove Church of England School£6,545
#27Long Furlong Primary School£6,531
#28Chilton County Primary School£6,492
#29Appleton Church of England (A) Primary School£6,491
#30The Hendreds Church of England School£6,473
#31Radley Church of England Primary School£6,465
#32Wantage Primary Academy£6,386
#33North Hinksey Church of England Primary School£6,383
#34St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon£6,342
#35Dunmore Primary School£6,193
#36Thomas Reade Primary School£6,185
#37St Swithun's CofE Primary School£6,082
#38Stanford In the Vale CofE Primary School£6,009
#39Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)£5,867
#40Wantage Church of England Primary School£5,849
#41Didcot Primary Academy£5,803
#42John Blandy Primary School£5,784
#43Rush Common School£5,625
#44St Michael's CofE Primary School, Steventon Village£4,900
#45Watchfield Primary School£4,783
#46St Nicholas CofE Primary School£4,519
#47St James Church of England Primary School, Hanney£4,187
#48Millbrook Primary School£3,717
#49Charlton Primary School£3,628
#50Thameside Primary School£3,353

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

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