Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School

About Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School

Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School’s headline Key Stage 2 results sit well above the Hampshire local authority average for primary schools. In the 2023/24 academic year, 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a county average of 61%. That’s a gap of 26 percentage points, and it places Hordle second out of 35 primary schools in the New Forest district, comfortably inside the top 5% nationally. The school’s overall Ofsted rating is Outstanding, a grade it has held since its last graded inspection in 2016, and an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed it remains at that level. Leadership and management, early years provision and overall effectiveness were all judged Outstanding, with no areas flagged for improvement. For parents comparing schools in the area, these figures put Hordle in a strong position relative to its peers.

Digging into the detail, Hordle’s pupils are performing well above national expectations across individual subjects. In reading, the average scaled score was 109, with 89% reaching the expected standard and 45% working at a higher level. Maths followed a similar pattern: an average score of 107, 89% at the expected standard and 33% at the higher standard. Writing was the strongest subject for expected standards, with 91% of pupils meeting the benchmark and 35% achieving greater depth. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard across all three subjects was 20%, which is notably strong for a primary school. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, but the attainment figures alone suggest consistent, high-quality teaching. With 11.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school is serving a relatively mixed intake while still delivering results that far outstrip the local average.

Hordle is a Church of England voluntary-aided primary school in the New Forest, with a nursery provision for children from age two. It is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 91 applications for 45 places, and only 44 of the 46 first-preference families received an offer. That gives an oversubscription ratio of just over two applicants per place. The school’s facilities include a forest school, chapel, music rooms, sports hall and gymnasium, and it offers a broad range of clubs from coding and chess to gardening and science. Its SEND provision covers eight categories, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and physical disability, so it is well equipped to support a range of additional needs. For families who value strong academic outcomes within a church school setting and are prepared for a competitive admissions process, Hordle is a standout option in the New Forest area.

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