Dursley Church of England Primary Academy

About Dursley Church of England Primary Academy

Dursley Church of England Primary Academy was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025, a rating it has held consistently across both its recent inspections. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment, which sits at 45% of pupils. This is notably below the Gloucestershire local authority average of 59%, placing the school in the bottom half of primary schools within the LA. In the Stroud area specifically, it ranks 46th out of 52 schools on this measure. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 66% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, compared with 61% in writing and just 50% in maths. Higher standard attainment is low across the board, with only 8% achieving the higher benchmark in all three subjects. Reading average scores (104) are stronger than maths (100), though the school does not publish progress scores, making it harder to judge how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2025 inspection shows Good ratings across all five graded areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The previous inspection in 2015 had also rated overall effectiveness as Good, though early years provision was graded as Requires Improvement at that time, so the improvement there to Good is a clear positive. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is largely positive: 86% of the 63 respondents said they would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed that their child is happy (86% combined strongly agree and agree) and feels safe (87%). However, there are areas of concern. On SEND support, only 60% of parents agreed that the school gives children with special educational needs the support they need, with 40% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. The school’s SEND provisions cover a wide range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

The school has a capacity of 315 and currently has 256 pupils on roll, with 17.3% eligible for free school meals. It was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 35 applications for 21 places, with 19 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, dining hall, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, athletics, dance, tennis and netball, while clubs range from choir and drama to science, eco, gardening and chess. As a Church of England primary academy, it has a religious character but is open to all. The school does not have a nursery or sixth form. For families considering Dursley, the key takeaway is that this is a Good-rated school with a warm parent community and decent facilities, but academic outcomes at Key Stage 2 are below the local average, particularly in maths, and SEND provision has drawn some criticism from parents. It may suit families who prioritise a supportive, well-behaved environment over top-tier exam results.

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