Aylburton Church of England Primary School

About Aylburton Church of England Primary School

Aylburton Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in the Forest of Dean, and its headline Key Stage 2 results sit noticeably below the local authority average. Just 42% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Gloucestershire average of 59%. That gap is significant and places the school in the bottom half of primaries nationally, ranking 171st out of 243 similar schools in the county. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 92% of pupils reached the expected level in maths, which is strong, but reading (58%) and writing (67%) lag behind. No pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths together, and only 17% did so in maths alone. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it’s hard to say how much of this reflects the intake versus teaching, but the raw outcomes are clearly below what most families in Gloucestershire would expect.

Ofsted last inspected Aylburton in 2023 and judged it to be Good overall, with leadership and management also rated Good. That inspection was ungraded, meaning the school was confirmed to have maintained its Good rating from the previous graded inspection in 2013. The 2013 inspection had rated early years provision as Requires Improvement, but the current report notes no concerns in that area. The school is small, with 76 pupils on roll against a capacity of 70, and 28.9% of children are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. The headteacher is Emma Isaac. The school’s religious character is Church of England, and it has a chapel on site.

Aylburton is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26, it offered just 4 places and received 23 applications, a ratio of 5.75 applicants per place. All four first-preference families were offered a spot, but the competition is fierce. Facilities include an ICT suite, sports hall, gymnasium, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, tennis, netball, cross country, football, dance and cricket, and clubs range from drama and choir to coding and science club. The school supports pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. This is a school that suits families who value a small, Church of England setting and are confident their child will thrive academically despite results that are below the local average.

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